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###### Department of Commerce

###### International Trade Administration

          - [A-552-802]

# AGENCY:

Import Administration, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.

# SUMMARY:

The Department of Commerce (“Department”) has received information sufficient to warrant initiation of a changed circumstances review of the antidumping duty order on certain frozen warmwater shrimp from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (“Vietnam”).

# DATES:

*Effective Date:*                         April 14, 2009.                    

# FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Scot Fullerton or Jerry Huang, AD/CVD Operations, Office 9, Import Administration, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230; telephone: 202-482-1386 or 202-482-4047, respectively.

# SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

## Background

The antidumping duty order for certain frozen warmwater shrimp from Vietnam was published on February 1, 2005. See Notice of Amended Final Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value and Antidumping Duty Order: Certain Frozen Warmwater Shrimp From the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, 70 FR 5152 (February 1, 2005) (“Order”). As part of the Order, Can Tho Agricultural and Animal Products Import Export Company (“CATACO”), received an antidumping duty cash deposit rate of 4.57 percent. Id. In the first administrative review, the Department initiated a review on CATACO. See Initiation of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Administrative Reviews and Deferral of Administrative Reviews, 71 FR 17077 (April 5, 2006). However, the review of CATACO was subsequently rescinded. See Certain Frozen Warmwater Shrimp from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Partial Rescission of the First Administrative Review, 71 FR 42628, 42629 (July 27, 2006). As part of the final results of the second administrative review, in which CATACO was reviewed, the company received an antidumping duty cash deposit rate of 4.57 percent. See Certain Frozen Warmwater Shrimp From the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Final Results and Final Partial Rescission of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review, 73 FR 52273, 52275-52276 (September 9, 2008).

On March 13, 2009, CATACO filed a submission requesting that the Department conduct a changed circumstances review of the antidumping duty order on certain frozen warmwater shrimp from Vietnam and requesting that the Department find that Can Tho Import Export Fishery Limited Company (“CAFISH”) is the successor-in-interest to CATACO's shrimp processing operations. See CATACO's submission to the Department regarding Certain Frozen Warmwater Shrimp from Vietnam: Request for Changed Circumstances Review, (Case No. A-552-802) (March 13, 2009).

                    In its submission, CATACO provided information regarding the events leading to the spin-off of its shrimp processing operations as CAFISH. Additionally, CATACO provided documentation relating to its change in corporate structure from a state owned enterprise to a separate joint stock company, Cantho Import-Export Seafood Joint Stock Company (“CASEAMEX”), which was later again spun off into CAFISH. In addition, CATACO provided documentation comparing CAFISH's current management, facility and equipment, supplier relationships, and customer base to that of the original CATACO. As part of its submission, CATACO requested that the Department conduct an expedited review.                          ( print page 17157)    

## Scope of the Order

                    The scope of the order includes certain frozen warmwater shrimp and prawns, whether wild-caught (ocean harvested) or farm-raised (produced by aquaculture), head-on or head-off, shell-on or peeled, tail-on or tail-off,[1]                                          deveined or not deveined, cooked or raw, or otherwise processed in frozen form.                

The frozen warmwater shrimp and prawn products included in the scope of the order, regardless of definitions in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (“HTSUS”), are products which are processed from warmwater shrimp and prawns through freezing and which are sold in any count size.

The products described above may be processed from any species of warmwater shrimp and prawns. Warmwater shrimp and prawns are generally classified in, but are not limited to, the Penaeidae family. Some examples of the farmed and wild-caught warmwater species include, but are not limited to, whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus vannemei), banana prawn (Penaeus merguiensis), fleshy prawn (Penaeus chinensis), giant river prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii), giant tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon), redspotted shrimp (Penaeus brasiliensis), southern brown shrimp (Penaeus subtilis), southern pink shrimp (Penaeus notialis), southern rough shrimp (Trachypenaeus curvirostris), southern white shrimp (Penaeus schmitti), blue shrimp (Penaeus stylirostris), western white shrimp (Penaeus occidentalis), and Indian white prawn (Penaeus indicus).

Frozen shrimp and prawns that are packed with marinade, spices or sauce are included in the scope of the order. In addition, food preparations, which are not “prepared meals,” that contain more than 20 percent by weight of shrimp or prawn are also included in the scope of the order.

Excluded from the scope are: (1) Breaded shrimp and prawns (HTS subheading 1605.20.10.20); (2) shrimp and prawns generally classified in the Pandalidae family and commonly referred to as coldwater shrimp, in any state of processing; (3) fresh shrimp and prawns whether shell-on or peeled (HTS subheadings 0306.23.00.20 and 0306.23.00.40); (4) shrimp and prawns in prepared meals (HTS subheading 1605.20.05.10); (5) dried shrimp and prawns; (6) canned warmwater shrimp and prawns (HTS subheading 1605.20.10.40); (7) certain dusted shrimp; and (8) certain battered shrimp. Dusted shrimp is a shrimp-based product: (1) That is produced from fresh (or thawed-from-frozen) and peeled shrimp; (2) to which a “dusting” layer of rice or wheat flour of at least 95 percent purity has been applied; (3) with the entire surface of the shrimp flesh thoroughly and evenly coated with the flour; (4) with the non-shrimp content of the end product constituting between four and 10 percent of the product's total weight after being dusted, but prior to being frozen; and (5) that is subjected to IQF freezing immediately after application of the dusting layer. Battered shrimp is a shrimp-based product that, when dusted in accordance with the definition of dusting above, is coated with a wet viscous layer containing egg and/or milk, and par-fried.

The products covered by the order are currently classified under the following HTSUS subheadings: 0306.13.00.03, 0306.13.00.06, 0306.13.00.09, 0306.13.00.12, 0306.13.00.15, 0306.13.00.18, 0306.13.00.21, 0306.13.00.24, 0306.13.00.27, 0306.13.00.40, 1605.20.10.10, and 1605.20.10.30. These HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and for customs purposes only and are not dispositive, but rather the written description of the scope of the order is dispositive.

## Initiation of Changed Circumstances Review

Pursuant to section 751(b)(1) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (“Act”), the Department will conduct a changed circumstances review upon receipt of information concerning, or a request from an interested party for a review of, an antidumping duty order which shows changed circumstances sufficient to warrant a review of the order. The Department has determined that the information submitted by CATACO demonstrates changed circumstances sufficient to warrant a review. See 19 CFR 351.216(d). Additionally, section 751(b)(4) of the Act states that the Department shall not conduct a review less than 24 months after the date of publication of the less-than-fair-value determination, in the absence of good cause. As noted above, CATACO filed its request for a changed circumstances review more than 24 months after the publication of the Order.

In accordance with the above-referenced regulations, the Department is initiating a changed circumstances review to determine whether CAFISH is the successor-in-interest to CATACO. In determining whether one company is the successor to another for purposes of applying the antidumping duty law, the Department examines a number of factors including, but not limited to, changes in: (1) Management; (2) production facilities; (3) supplier relationships; and (4) customer base. See, e.g., Certain Cut-to-Length Carbon Steel Plate from Romania: Initiation and Preliminary Results of Changed Circumstances Antidumping Duty Administrative Review, 70 FR 22847 (May 3, 2005). While no one or several of these factors will necessarily provide a dispositive indication of succession, the Department will generally consider one company to be a successor to another company if its resulting operation is similar to that of its predecessor. See Notice of Initiation of Antidumping Duty Changed Circumstances Review: Certain Forged Stainless Steel Flanges from India, 71 FR 327 (January 4, 2006). Thus, if the evidence demonstrates that, with respect to the production and sale of the subject merchandise, the new company operates as the same business entity as the prior company, the Department will assign the new company the cash deposit rate of its predecessor.

                    Due to the complexity and breadth of analysis required for this and five other concurrent changed circumstances reviews, it is not practical to conduct an expedited changed circumstances review. Therefore, we have not issued the preliminary results of this changed circumstances review at this time. The Department will publish in the                     **Federal Register**                     a notice of preliminary results of the antidumping duty changed circumstances review, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.221(b)(4) and 19 CFR 351.221(c)(3)(i). This notice will set forth the factual and legal conclusions upon which our preliminary results are based and a description of any action proposed based on those results. Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.221(b)(4)(ii), interested parties will have an opportunity to comment on the preliminary results of the review. In accordance with 19 CFR 351.216(e), the Department will issue the final results of its antidumping duty changed circumstances review not later than 270 days after the date on which this review is initiated, or within 45 days if all parties to the proceeding agree to the outcome of the preliminary findings, and will publish these results in the                     **Federal Register**                    .                

This notice is published in accordance with sections 751(b)(1) and 777(i) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.216 and 351.221(c)(3).

      ( print page 17158)    
Dated: March 27, 2009.

John M. Andersen,

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Operations.

# Footnotes

1.                            “Tails” in this context means the tail fan, which includes the telson and the uropods.                    
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[FR Doc. E9-7436 Filed 4-13-09; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DS-M