CBP's ACE Multi-Modal Manifest Capabilities to be Deployed in Six Phases
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted a fact sheet on the Automated Commercial Environment multi-modal manifest (MMM) capability, which will expand ACE to include all modes of transportation and provide a single, automated system for cargo control and release.
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Multi-modal manifest will also allow CBP to eventually phase out and replace the four separate manifest systems1 it currently uses.
Multi-Modal Manifest Capabilities to be Deployed in 6 Phases
ACE multi-modal manifest capabilities will be deployed in six phases. Highlights of the six phases are as follows:
Ocean and Rail Manifest (M1: e-Manifest: Ocean and rail) scheduled to be deployed in third quarter of 20082 would:
modernize existing rail and sea automated manifest capabilities and transitions existing business rules and operational requirements into ACE
allow trade partners to make updates to container seal information without deleting and resubmitting the entire bill of lading
enable initiation and resending of manifest transactions 24 hours a day, seven days a week
provide enhanced visibility of cargo status through new shipment status advisory messages and more detailed hold notifications
extend the "broker download" feature to ocean and air carriers
Air and Conveyance Management System (M2.1: e-Manifest: Air) scheduled to be deployed in the second quarter of 2009 would:
enable the seamless movement and tracking of in-bond cargo across air-sea-rail modes of transportation and accommodates electronic transfer of bond liability.
improve, through cargo status event notifications, the trade community's visibility of cargo as it moves through the international supply chain en route to, within or from the U.S.
accommodate air cargo holds at the master, house, sub-house and simple bill of lading levels
facilitate faster, more accurate cargo processing through the use of the broker download feature
Full Multi-Modal Manifest (M2.2, also referred to as e-Manifest: Truck) scheduled to be deployed in the fourth quarter of 2009 would:
establish full multi-modal manifest processing in ACE through the inclusion of truck processing, meaning CBP and the trade community will be able to use one system - ACE - to process cargo imported by the rail, sea, air or truck modes of transportation
provide faster and easier access to data
provide CBP officers and the trade community additional customized reporting capabilities and enhanced access to cargo control and release shipment data within the ACE data warehouse
Cargo Release (M2.3) scheduled to be deployed in the second quarter of 2010 would:
modernize cargo release capabilities to run in ACE
provide new cargo status querying capabilities, giving trade partners visibility into cargo screening results, hold status and other government agency data requirements
incorporate the informational and operational requirements of more than 40 federal agencies into ACE via the International Trade Data System (ITDS) initiative
provide new electronic messages for other government agency data requirements, allowing the elimination of paper forms
Exports and Mail Entry Writing System (M3) scheduled to be deployed in the third quarter of 2011 would:
enable CBP to link import and export processes, bringing export cargo processing into the multi-modal manifest environment shared by rail, sea, air and truck transportation modes
Bonded Facilities Control (M4) scheduled to be deployed in the second quarter of 2012 would:
provide ACE capabilities to bonded facilities, including cargo control partners, terminal operators, ocean port and airport authorities, container freight stations, warehouses, Foreign Trade Zones (FTZs) of international transportation providers (carriers), entry filers (customs brokers) and international pipeline operators
enhance ACE portal access for account inquiry and cargo status shipment advice
facilitate screening and targeting of pipeline shipments
1CBP sources identify these four systems as: Ocean Automated Manifest System, Rail AMS, Air AMS, and ACE e-Manifest: Truck (ACE e-Manifest: Truck will move from its own platform to the multi-modal platform).
2Scheduled deployment dates are from the most recent version of CBP's ACE development scheduled, provided for in its ACE 101 presentation (hyperlinked)
(See ITT's Online Archives or 03/07/08 news, 08030710, for BP summary of CBP approving the design for e-Manifest: Air. See ITT's Online Archives or 02/25/08 news, 08022505, for BP summary of CBP's fact sheet on e-Manifest: Ocean and Rail. See ITT's Online Archives or 04/15/08 news, 08041510, for BP summary of CBP's presentation on the ACE Cargo Control and Release delivery.)
ACE multi-modal manifest capabilities fact sheet (dated 05/09/08) available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/fact_sheets/trade/ace_factsheets/ace_multimodal.xml