U.S. CUSTOMS CHANGES VESSEL BOARDING POLICY

U.S. CUSTOMS CHANGES VESSEL BOARDING POLICY    U.S. Customs has announced that inspectors will no longer need to board vessels to review vessel documentation.
   The new rules permit ship agents to bring vessel documentation to Customs’ port offices. These documents include master’s oath of vessel in foreign trade (CF1300), general declaration (CF1301), ship stores declaration (CF1303), crew effects declaration (CF1304), and clearance of vessel to a foreign port (CF1378).
   Other documentation such as the application to discharge (CF 3171) and vessel manifest (CF 1302) must be filed to Customs two days in advance of arrival.
   “It’s a better way to use our resources,” said Robert Watt, program officer at Customs’ Office of Field Operations in Washington. “The money we save will be used for enforcement purposes.”
   Customs’ boarding policy used to vary from port to port. Some port directors ordered more boardings than others. The agency says the new rules will create more uniformity.
   The new boarding rules will also have no impact on other government agencies that board vessels, such as the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and the Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and Plant Protection and Quarantine.
   Customs reports about 100,000 vessel arrivals a year, which includes ships from overseas and coastwise sailings.