Commercial Information Circulars

24-hour hotline : 23 922 922

e-mail address : enquiry@tid.gov.hk

Ref : CR EIC 111/2/16

4 January 2008

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 12/2008

US : Proposed Rule on Importer Security Filing and Additional Carrier Requirements

The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced in the Federal Register (FR) notices of 2 January 2008 a proposed rule to require importers and carriers to electronically submit additional information on cargo before it is loaded on US-bound vessel. CBP is seeking comments from interested parties concerning the proposed rule by 3 March 2008.

DETAILS

2. The trade was informed via our Commercial Information Circular No. 304/2003 dated 15 December 2003 that the US CBP has adopted the final rule requiring mandatory submission of advance electronic cargo information on inbound and outbound air, sea, truck and rail cargoes by means of CBP-approved electronic data interchange system. CBP has now issued a proposed rule to require both importers and carriers to electronically submit additional cargo information before the cargo is brought into the US by vessel.

Proposed Importer Requirements

3. Under the proposed rule, importers are required to transmit an Importer Security Filing to CBP no later than 24 hours before cargo is laden abroad a vessel destined to the US. The Importer Security Filing should contain the following ten data elements:

1. manufacturer (or supplier) name and address;

2. seller (or owner) name and address;

3. buyer (or owner) name and address;

4. ship-to name and address;

5. container stuffing location;

6. consolidator (stuffer) name and address;

7. importer of record number/ foreign trade zone applicant identification number;

8. consignee number;

9. country of origin; and

10. commodity Harmonised Tariff Schedule number.

Proposed Carrier Requirements

4. The proposed rule requires carriers to submit two additional data elements, including (i) a vessel stow plan used to transmit information about the physical location of the cargo loaded aboard a vessel; and (ii) container status messages (CSMs), which are used to report terminal container movement (e.g. loading and discharge of vessel) and to report the change in status of containers (e.g. empty or full).

5. As the above-mentioned FR notice is quite bulky, interested parties may wish to download the notice at : http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E7-25306.pdf.

ENQUIRIES

6. For enquiries concerning the content of this circular, please contact Miss S Y TANG at telephone number 2398 5405.

Yours faithfully,

(Miss WONG Ying)
for Director-General of Trade and Industry