The Office of International Trade is playing a vital role in creating Automated Commercial Environment entry summary capabilities, which are expected to automate business processes, streamline operations and dramatically change the way U.S. Customs and Border Protection conducts business.

    Created to consolidate all CBP trade policy and coordinate efforts to achieve the agency’s vision for trade modernization, the Office of International Trade bears primary ownership of the CBP entry summary business process. Using entry summary process expertise and a collaborative approach, the Office of International Trade is leading efforts to define and develop these ACE capabilities.

    “Modernizing the entry summary business process is a complex endeavor that touches many facets of CBP,” said Steve Hilsen, director of trade modernization and ACE coordination within the Office of International Trade. “Our goal is to ensure ACE entry summary capabilities fully support CBP and the trade community while aligning with the tenets of shared responsibility and informed compliance set forth in the 1993 Customs Modernization Act.”

    To develop ACE entry summary capabilities, the Office of International Trade is working closely with other agency offices, including the Office of Field Operations and the Office of Information and Technology, to ensure the capabilities are designed to meet all agency and trade community needs. Field experts regularly assist the Office of International Trade and ACE system developers with defining the business requirements necessary in order for future entry summary capabilities to fully support field operations. This coordination provides the field insight and expertise that is essential to the development of ACE entry summary capabilities.

    CBP modernization includes not only automated systems but every aspect of the agency, from policy to business processes. The collaboration facilitated by the Office of International Trade is expected to result in more robust entry summary capabilities. As owner of the policy and processes that define these capabilities, the Office of International Trade will be the driving force behind the development process.

    “Essentially we’re making sure the right people are involved throughout the development cycle, from the headquarters office that owns the business process to the technology people building the system and the field personnel who will be using it,” said Lou Samenfink, executive director of the Office of Information and Technology’s Cargo Systems Program Office.

    With the first phase of entry summary capabilities, scheduled to be deployed in 2009, the entries filed by an initial group of voluntary trade partners for the most common entry types – entry types 01 and 11 – will be processed through ACE. As development efforts continue, the ongoing collaboration within CBP, as well as with the trade community through the Trade Support Network, will continue to ensure that future entry summary capabilities are designed to support the needs of all ACE users.

Additional cargo information

    CBP has published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) requiring importers and carriers to electronically submit additional information on cargo before it is brought into the United States by vessel. The Security Filing, also known as 10+2, is another step in the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) strategy to better assess and identify high-risk shipments to prevent terrorist weapons and materials from entering the United States.

    “The Security Filing will improve CBP’s ability to target high-risk cargo by identifying actual cargo movements and improving the accuracy of cargo descriptions,” said CBP Commissioner W. Ralph Basham. “It will also improve our ability to facilitate lawful international trade by identifying low-risk shipments much earlier in the supply chain.”

    This initiative strengthens cargo security by making CBP screening more efficient and effective. CBP has implemented a comprehensive, multi-layered cargo security strategy designed to enhance national security while protecting the economic vitality of the United States. These efforts include the 24-hour Manifest Rule, Container Security Initiative, Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, Non-Intrusive Inspection Techniques, Automated Targeting System, the Secure Freight Initiative, and the National Targeting Center.

    The proposed regulation will require carriers to submit 10+2 additional pieces of information in order to enhance the security of the maritime environment. The additional information includes: a vessel stow plan used to transmit information about the physical location of cargo loaded aboard a vessel bound for the United States; and container status messages, which report container movements and changes in status (e.g., empty or full).

    In addition, the NPRM also requires importers to submit an Importer Security Filing containing the following data elements:

    •Manufacturer (or supplier) name and address.

    •Seller (or owner) name and address.

    •Buyer (or owner) name and address.

    •Ship-to name and address.

    •Container stuffing location.

    •Consolidator (stuffer) name and address.

    •Importer of record number/foreign trade zone applicant identification number.

    •Consignee number(s).

    •Country of origin.

    •Commodity Harmonized Tariff Schedule number.

    Currently, CBP relies primarily on carrier manifest information to perform advance targeting prior to vessel loading. Internal and external reviews have concluded that more complete advance shipment data would produce more accurate and effective cargo risk assessments. In this way resources can be focused on true threats and legitimate cargo can speed through the system as quickly as possible.

    The proposed regulation is intended to satisfy provisions outlined in the Security and Accountability for Every Port Act of 2006, which require the submission of additional data elements for improved high-risk targeting.