CBP Updates Fact Sheet on ACE e-Manifest: Ocean and Rail

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued an updated version of its fact sheet on ACE ocean and rail manifest capabilities (e-Manifest: Ocean and Rail, or M1). CBP states that ACE e-Manifest: Ocean and Rail will set the stage for ACE multi-modal manifest processing, which will bring all modes of transportation (sea, rail, air and truck) into a common ACE environment. It will also include the capabilities that will help identify high-risk shipments and facilitate processing of legitimate cargo.

(CBP officials recently announced that after deciding to move forward with the M1 contract, the M1 pilot and trade testing was scheduled to begin in mid-May. In September, CBP plans to begin rolling out M1 on a port-by-port basis and to complete it in January 2012. After all ports in the U.S. are using the e-Manifest for ocean and rail, carriers will have six months to transition out of the Automated Commercial System (ACS). See ITT’s Online Archives or 04/21/11 news, 11042125, for BP summary.)

The following benefits are expected with the deployment of e-Manifest: Ocean and Rail:

Improved Cargo Security, Expedited Cargo Processing and Trade Facilitation

• A consolidated view of rail and sea shipment manifest and entry data at the bill of lading or container level will facilitate the identification of shipments that may pose a risk and expedite the pre-arrival processing of legitimate cargo.
• A three-dimensional view of conveyance stowage plans will allow unmanifested containers to be quickly identified.
• CBP officers will be able to place or remove holds at the container level, allowing suspicious containers to be held while the balance of a shipment is processed.

Faster and Easier Access to Data

• The ACE Secure Data Portal will provide CBP officers with integrated entry, manifest and risk assessment information for rail and sea shipments needed for informed cargo processing decisions.

Improved Communications

• ACE will provide enhanced visibility of cargo status through new shipment status advisory messages and more descriptive CBP and Participating Government Agency (PGA) hold status notifications (PGA disposition codes).
• Beneficial event reporting will enable officers to provide notifications when bonded cargo arrives at and/or is exported from its destination.
• An electronic messaging service will allow CBP to broadcast messages to and request information from the trade community.
• ACE will streamline the process for placing or removing holds by other government agencies.

Greater Flexibility and Time Savings

• Carriers will have the option to use their own commercial identifiers instead of CBP-assigned tracking numbers for in-bond cargo control.
• Trade partners will be able to update container seal information without deleting and resubmitting the entire bill of lading.

New Features Include Holds at Different Levels, Info on PGAs Holding Goods, Etc.

• Enables CBP to place and remove holds at the conveyance, container and master bill level.
• Informs carriers which PGA has held their merchandise.
• Extends Broker Download to the sea environment.
• Increases the number of possible Secondary Notify Parties to 25.
• Provides carriers and Secondary Notify Parties such as Port Authorities with a status notification of disposition code 95 when a Paperless Master In-bond (IT, T&E or IE) has been deleted by the carrier.
• Provides the ability for the carrier to create and maintain a list of trade partners who are authorized to use their Type two custodial bond through the ACE Portal.
• Provides the ability for the carrier to create and maintain sea conveyance information through the ACE Portal.
• Provides 12 new reports for rail and sea carriers along with 7 new reports for brokers and 2 for importers.
• Provides the ability to share customized reports with any user in a portal account.
• Provides filers with the ability to create and maintain rail line release entry banks.

(See ITT’s Online Archives or 04/29/11 news, 11042914, for BP summary of CBP saying that it wants brokers to be part of the May M1 pilot.)