Issue 445, August 5, 2004
Due to the impending implementation of new U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) rules on Assembly Shipments, as of August 13, 2004, combined shipments imported from one or more foreign shippers to a single U.S. consignee, and/or shipments from a single foreign shipper to multiple U.S. consignees, will require special handling.

CBP requires detailed electronic shipper information on each air waybill record for the purposes of targeting high-risk shipments and to ensure the greatest level of security. According to CBP, if a freight forwarder or other consolidator receives merchandise from multiple foreign vendors and arranges for such transport to the United States, listing the freight forwarder as the shipper no longer provides sufficient information for CBP to conduct its targeting.

The new Air Automated Manifest System (AMS) Advance Manifest rules require specific foreign shipper and U.S. consignee information to be transmitted to CBP in advance of arrival in the United States. Carriers, freight forwarders, consolidators and brokers are not permitted to be reflected as the shipper or consignee at the house air waybill level. Furthermore, the Air AMS system does not accommodate transmission of multiple shipper and/or consignee information for a single house bill. Therefore, for Air AMS purposes, the foreign shipper to U.S. consignee relationship must be a one-to-one correlation.

This change in the rules and regulations will require an adjustment in the release, entry and delivery processes of your Customshouse broker, as each one-to-one combination will need to be treated separately for CBP purposes. DHL Danzas has prepared for the regulatory requirement, and is communicating this information to you should you detect any changes in the import process. What was previously addressed by CBP as a single import transaction, now, will be treated as separate and distinct commercial transactions.

DHL Danzas Air & Ocean is an active participant in Freight Forwarders International (FFI) and the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA), both of which have filed petitions for relief to CBP on this matter. To date, responses are pending on both petitions.

Pending a change or modification in the rules, DDAO will begin complying with the new rules for shipments destined to the U.S. on/after August 13, 2004. Shipments tendered require transmission of a single foreign (actual) shipper and single U.S. consignee for each house bill.

For more information please contact your local DHL Danzas Air & Ocean office or view our Air Automated Manifest System - Frequently Asked Questions

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.