CBP readies advance ocean, rail test in ACE

CBP readies advance ocean, rail test in ACE    U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it would soon conduct a test of the transmission of required advance ocean and rail data through the Automated Commercial Environment.
   CBP’s modernization efforts are accomplished through 'phased releases' of ACE component functionality designed to replace a specific legacy Automated Commercial System (ACS) function. 'Each release will begin with a test and end with mandatory compliance with the new ACE feature, thus retiring the legacy ACS function,' the agency said.
   CBP will start accepting applications for this latest test on Oct. 20. Selected applicants will be notified by the agency and will then undergo a certification process to be followed by active testing. The active test will start no earlier than Dec. 22, and will run for no less than 90 days, CBP said.
   CBP would like the test to include the following industry participants:
   ' Two to three ocean carriers.
   ' Two service centers.
   ' One port authority.
   ' Two terminal operators.
   ' Two to three rail carriers.
   ' One to two Automated Broker Interface (ABI) filers.
      Two to three standalone Importer Security Filers (ISF).
      Additional eligibility requirements for participants include:
   ' A current Automated Manifest System EDI transmitter for ocean or rail modes of transportation using ANSI X12 or the CAMIR interfaces or an ABI transmitter using the CATAIR interface for in-bond transactions (QP/WP).
   ' Establish an ACE Secure Data Portal account.
   ' Software must be ready to test with CBP once the agency begins the certification process.
   CBP said it would post on its Web site the appropriate standards needed to enable each specific type of AMS or ABI-compatible software to work with ACE about 90 days before the start of the active test.
   New ACE functionalities available to the participants through the test include:
   ' Broker download.
   ' Holds at the container level.
   ' Expansion of shipment status disposition codes.
   ' Enhanced transaction sets.
   During the test, CBP said it will 'maintain communication with the participants in order to receive comments, address issues, and measure the functionality of ACE.'
   Once the initial group of participants is up and running, CBP will open the test to other interested advance ocean and rail data transmitters. 'This expansion will be done on a rolling basis, beginning sometime around the start of the active test stage for the initial group of participants,' the agency said.
   Shortly after the successful completion of the test, but no earlier than March 22, 2011, CBP said it will publish a notice in the Federal Register announcing that ACE will be the only CBP-approved EDI for required advance ocean and rail data.
   'The deployment of ocean and rail manifest data through ACE continues to lay the foundation for a multimodal database that will eventually host all modes of transportation, including air,' CBP said.
   CBP's general notice was published in Wednesday's Federal Register.