U.S. CUSTOMS CALLS FOR MANIFEST FILING 24 HOURS PRIOR TO LOADING

U.S. CUSTOMS CALLS FOR MANIFEST FILING 24 HOURS PRIOR TO LOADING

'    U.S. Customs has proposed regulations that would require vessel operators to file their cargo manifests to the agency 24 hours prior to loading in foreign ports.

   “It is a matter of urgency that Customs knows in advance what is in the containers destined to the United States,” said Customs Commissioner Robert C. Bonner. “We need this regulation to fully implement the Customs Container Security Initiative.”

   Under the proposed rules, non-vessel-operating common carriers will be able to obtain an international carrier bond from Customs and will be encouraged to electronically file their cargo manifests directly to the agency.

   Customs initiated its Container Security Initiative (CSI) in January. The program is designed to help protect the United States and a large portion of the global trading system from terrorist using containers to hide and transport weapons of mass destruction, Bonner said.

   The Group of Eight nations and the World Customs Organization have endorsed CSI as a way to improve container security while ensuring that legitimate cargo moves efficiently across national borders.

   CSI requires the United States to enter into bilateral agreements with other governments to target and pre-screen high-risk container in overseas seaports before they are shipped to the United States. Customs inspectors will also be stationed in CSI ports to work side-by-side with their overseas counterparts.

   “It is critically important that Customs officers receive (manifest) information as soon as possible in the process,” Bonner said. “U.S. Customs officers need timely and accurate manifest data and they need it now.”

   So far, Customs has entered into CSI agreements with the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Germany, covering the major container ports of Rotterdam, Antwerp, Le Havre, Bremerhaven, and Hamburg. Singapore recently announced its intention to join the CSI initiative.

   Customs will publish the proposed manifest filing rule in the Federal Register today. The ocean shipping industry will have 30 days to respond to Customs with comments.