CBP Plans Comprehensive Testing for ACE e-Manifest: Sea and Rail for Advance Cargo Information Purposes
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted a notice announcing that CBP is preparing a comprehensive system testing plan designed to provide insights into the operational performance of the new Automated Commercial Environment sea and rail manifest (ACE e-Manifest: Sea and Rail1) processing for advance cargo information purposes before it is deployed to U.S. ports of entry in fall 2008.
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Among other things, the new ACE capabilities will provide CBP officers with a consolidated view of sea and rail manifest entry data at the bill of lading or container level, which will facilitate the identification of shipments that may pose a potential risk and expedite the release of legitimate cargo.
(ACE e-Manifest: Sea and Rail will set the stage for multi-modal processing that will replace three existing systems2 and provide a single, automated cargo control and release system across all modes of transportation. ACE e-Manifest: Truck is already currently operational at 99 U.S. land border ports, while the design for ACE e-Manifest: Air has just been approved. See BP Note below.)
Testing Will Allow CBP to Anticipate/Correct Errors before Deployment
CBP states that the testing strategy, which is expected to use operational data to detect system errors, is designed to ensure a smooth transition to ACE. CBP anticipates that the use of operational manifest data will facilitate the discovery of system errors that are typically not found until a system "goes live" and allow CBP time to correct the errors before the deployment.
ACE Will Keep All Current Functionality and Add New Features
According to CBP, ACE will keep all the functionality of current sea and rail cargo processing systems while adding new features that further enhance security and expedite processing of legitimate cargo.
(See ITT's Online Archives or 02/25/08 news, 08022505, for BP summary of a CBP fact sheet on ACE e-Manifest: Sea and Rail for advance cargo information purposes, which provides highlights of "new features" of e-Manifest: Sea and Rail capabilities, etc.)
1This ACE e-Manifest release has been referred to as "M1." According to a CBP presentation from the February 5-7, 2008 Trade Support Network (TSN) meeting, Entry Summary, Accounts, and Revenue (ESAR) A2.1 (M1 Reference Data) is expected to be implemented before or with M1.
2CBP sources identify these three systems as Ocean/Rail Automated Manifest System (AMS); Air AMS; and ACE e-Manifest: Truck (ACE e-Manifest: Truck will move from its own platform to the multi-modal platform).
ACE e-Manifest: Sea and Rail notice (dated 02/26/08) available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/about/modernization/whats_new/rail_sea_manfst.xml
BP Note
CBP has also posted a notice stating it has approved the design for ACE e-Manifest: Air capabilities. See future issue of ITT for details. (CBP notice available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/about/modernization/whats_new/ace_air_emanifest.xml)