Issue 380, December 3, 2002

Important Information On Shipping Cargo to the United States

During the last couple of months, the U.S. Government has initiated several projects aimed at increasing the security regarding ocean freight transportation to the U.S. Most of these initiatives have not yet been finalized.

However, one rule HAS been finalized. As of December 2, 2002, the filing of manifests with U.S. Customs must occur NO LATER than 24 hours before the main vessel starts to load at the origin port. The rule also carries stricter enforcement of the contents reported in the manifests.

The roll out date of December 2, 2002 is followed by an implementation period of 60 days, during which U.S. Customs will evaluate the compliance of the new rules. During this period, U.S. Customs will not apply fines for non-compliance.

What does this mean to you as the shipper?

Your information and documentation concerning ocean freight shipments to the U.S. must be accurate, on time and comply with U.S. Customs' rules on content. Below, you will find more detailed information about what is required.

Your information must be ready when cargo is picked up so that your filing can be made on time. There will be local deadlines depending on the carriers involved. Your local Danzas office will be able to inform you about these.

Shipments, of which documentation is late or incomplete, will not be allowed to load. Incorrect information might lead to penalties from U.S. Customs or the carriers, should they suffer penalties from U.S. Customs because of incorrect information provided by the shipper.

Special emphasis is put on shipments containing hazardous cargo.

Also, the new rules will mean additional work for both carriers and forwarders involved and it may be possible that this will result in some sort of security surcharge in the near future.

Please find below the commercial and detailed information required by Danzas for exports to the U.S. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your local Danzas office at any time. Thank you for your cooperation! We will work closely with you to ensure proper compliance with this new rule.

Commercial Information Required by Danzas For Exports to the U.S.

1. Shipper Name and Address
2. Consignee Name and Address - For shipments on Letters of Credit, the name and address of the buyer or buyer's representative in the U.S. is required.
3. Number of Pieces and Kind of Packages - The number of pieces must indicate the quantity of the lowest external packaging unit. The packaging must indicate the kind of package for the lowest external packaging unit. For example, if you are shipping 10 pallets with 200 cartons, we are required to report this as 200 cartons on 10 pallets.
4. Exact Description of the Cargo - Generalized descriptions of commodities can no longer be used. For example, machinery NOS, auto parts, plastic articles, apparel, etc. cannot be reported. We must provide specific cargo descriptions. If possible, we ask that you provide us with the HTS number for the commodity you are exporting. If you are not certain of the correct HTS number, you should contact your buyer in the U.S. for this information.
5. Weight of the Cargo - The weight of the shipment is also a required reporting element and we ask that you ensure that this information is readily available to us.
6. Hazardous Material - It is most important that you provide us with accurate information on all hazardous materials shipments so that we can effectively report the required information.

Please note that due to the complex nature of the subject matter, DHL Danzas Air & Ocean cannot be responsible for actions taken by the reader in reliance on the information contained herein without prior consultation with DHL Danzas Air & Ocean.