CBP posted new materials describing the Participating Government Agency (PGA) message set pilot program that will allow for the filing of some Environmental Protection Agency and Food Safety and Inspection Service information through ACE. The pilots will allow for electronic filing of foreign inspection certificates, automated validation checks and messaging between the agencies and the filers regarding validation results, according to overviews of the pilots (here) and (here). The EPA pilot will begin late summer and the FSIS pilot will begin May 28 (see 13032829).
CBP updated its list of field offices whose ports accept the electronic CBP Form 214 (e214, Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) Admission and/or Status Designation) in lieu of a paper copy. The agency added two new field offices, Tampa and Tucson, to the list.
The Port of Seattle's ability to efficiently inspect and reinspect cargo following discovery of an Asian Gypsy Moth (AGMs) may be seriously limited by sequestration, said CBP's Seattle field office in a March 27 trade information notice (TIN). The budget constraints and CBP furloughs may result in "significant delays to the release of vessels and the discharge of their cargo," said the TIN. The notice reminds shippers that the high risk season for AGMs is approaching and that vessel crews should look for, remove and treat AGM egg masses during transit from high risk countries in Asia to help reduce delays.
The Transportation Department's Bureau of Transportation Statistics will include data for air and sea cargo in its monthly trans-border statistical releases, it said in a March 27 press release. The releases previously included categories for truck, rail, pipeline, other and unknown modes. The category for other and unknown modes will now be grouped with surface transportation, said BTS.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
CBP posted an updated summary of changes for the Automated Export System Trade Interface Requirements (AESTIR). Most recently, the following changes to Appendix A for Commodity Response Filing Messages were posted:
Myles Getlan, previously with Arent Fox, joined Cassidy Levy as a partner in the Washington office, according to a March 11 press release.
Randolph Alles was appointed as assistant commissioner of the CBP Office of Air and Marine in January, said a CBP notice. Alles was previously deputy assistant commissioner in that office.
The United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) and Inttra reached a multi-year agreement that will allow UASC to make use of Inttra's e-commerce network, said Inttra in a press release. Inttra, a multi-carrier e-commerce network for the shipping industry, said the new agreement will all also help UASC to grow in the Middle East and globally. Inttra will work closely to build UASC's e-commerce strategy, said UASC.
UPS extended its preferred less-than container load ocean freight service to Western Europe, the company said in a press release. Additional port access for the service will now open in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and the United Kingdom, it said.