CBP Gives Guidance for When ACE Cargo Release Unavailable to Filers
CBP created some "uniform national procedures for the processing of commercial cargo" when "the ACE Cargo Release system is unavailable to process cargo," Christopher Maston, CBP port director at Miami International Airport, said in a Feb. 4 notice. The guidance applies to situations in which the filer is unable to file for release electronically while the CBP system remains operational. "Terminal Operators will provide Broker initiated down time letters to CBP Officers for each shipment when the outage is due to a Broker system outage rather than a CBP system outage," it said. "At a minimum the down time letter should provide the [Importer's] name, address, Carrier, and ACE trip number."
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Also, if a completed CBP release form (3461) is available "and ACE Cargo Release is operational, the officer may elect to enter the data into ACE Cargo Release manually and process the release accordingly, workload permitting," CBP said. The guidelines don't cover everything, "but should be considered to efficiently facilitate the secure movement of legitimate trade during computer system downtimes," CBP said. Importers should look at the ACE dashboard (see 1611180021) before using downtime procedures, it said.
Email ITTNews@warren-news.com for a copy of the notice.