Automated Commercial Environment (ACE)

As part of the June 27 Automated Commercial Environment deployment, CBP will add a new account type within the ACE Secure Data Portal, the agency said (here). CBP will also add "a new system validation will automatically reject ACE Cargo Release entries that are subject to quota and entered" without the correct entry type, it said. "Until November 1, 2015, entries that are subject to quota must be filed in the Automated Commercial System (ACS)." The validation feature is hoped to allow for earlier than planned industry testing of 11 entry types ahead of the Nov. 1 requirement for entry summary and cargo release filing in ACE, a CBP official recently said (see 1506030054).

CBP posted a set of presentations used by government agencies at the 2015 Trade Support Network conference held June 23-25:

The CBP Los Angeles Field Office again extended interim work-around procedures in response to continued problems with Automated Commercial Environment for air manifests. Through June 31, it will allow for carriers and Container Freight Station operators to accept Form 3461 signed by the broker "without fear of penalty for entries that have generated a paperless release (to include split shipments)," the field office said in a notice. CBP said some carriers are unable to see release notifications (1C), which have posed a problem since the agency transitioned from the Air Automated Manifest System into the ACE on June 7 (see 1506110007). Carriers and CFS operators may also accept screen printouts of ACE cargo entry releases submitted by the broker, said CBP. "The printout should have at a minimum the shipment ID and quantity being released as well as clear identification of who presented the release information," it said. The carriers and CFS operators may also accept signed Form 7512 when the 1C or 1D aren't posted, it said.

CBP made some changes in its draft Automated Commercial Environment business process document (here), updating some sections and adding a new section about cargo that is deemed released. CBP posted a draft last month and requested industry comments (see 1505180010). The processes document is expected to function as the "cornerstone" for both the trade and port personnel, an agency official recently said (see 1504270018).

A set of recent fixes for the air manifest processing in the Automated Commercial Environment has resolved a number of problems recently reported by users, said a CBP spokeswoman in an email. "The fixes put in place through June 20th have eliminated the known performance issues," she said. "CBP will continue to monitor system performance to validate that all fixes and issues have been identified and rectified." The agency recently provided an update to industry members (see 1506220016).

CBP will begin use of a "revised Downtime Authorization form" at the Port of New York to avoid some of the problems related to the use of the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) for air manifests, said the CBP's New York office in a June 19 informational pipeline. The form "authorizes both transfers and releases in a single authorization, thereby eliminating a duplication in processing," said the agency. The ACE manifest system "continues to experience some performance issues in transmitting messages to the trade community," though it is "steadily improving," said CBP. The New York work-around differs from the revised procedures in Los Angeles (see 1506190022).

CBP will allow through June 24 for carriers and Container Freight Station operators to accept Form 3461 signed by the broker "without fear of penalty for entries that have generated a paperless release (to include split shipments)," the agency's Los Angeles field office said in notice. CBP said some carriers are unable to see release notifications (1C), which have posed a problem since the agency transitioned from the Air Automated Manifest System into the Automated Commercial Environment on June 7 (see 1506110007). Carriers and CFS operators may also accept screen printouts of ACE cargo entry releases submitted by the broker, said CBP. "The printout should have at a minimum the shipment ID and quantity being released as well as clear identification of who presented the release information," it said. The carriers and CFS operators may also accept signed Form 7512 when the 1C or 1D aren't posted, it said.

The Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) Export Account Registration Form will be available this summer, and ACE filers will at that time be able to access export reports by Employer Identification Numbers (EIN), said a recent memo from the Census Bureau, according to an emailed notice sent by the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security on June 17. Census’ Automated Export System Direct (AESDirect) filing portal will also be “made available in ACE in Fall 2015,” said the Census memo. Census will allow export access for ACE import account holders for all EINs already created in an existing import account, and the agency will also allow those without import accounts to add new EINs under some restrictions.

CBP is working to fix a problem of multiple messages going out for single airway bills of lading in Automated Commercial Environment Air Manifest, said CBP in a CSMS message (here). CBP has dealt with several issues related to the ACE air manifest (see 1506110007 and 1506090019).

CBP and Mexico's customs agency are making progress toward full recognition of the countries' respective trusted trader programs, said Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske during a speech at the Wilson Center's Mexico Institute on June 17 (here). Kerlikowske also discussed the Automated Commercial Environment's (ACE) impact on building a competitive U.S.-Mexico Border and ongoing work to harmonize data elements between the two countries. The recent election of Ana Hinojosa as the Director of Compliance of the World Customs Organization reflects the international respect for the U.S. plans for a "Single Window," said Kerlikowske (see 1506150018).