CBP Announces New Procedures for Sealing of Containerized Cargo Inspected by CBP Officers
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has implemented new procedures for the sealing of containerized cargo inspected by CBP officers. Effective August 9, 2005, CBP will only use International Organization for Standardization Publicly Available Specification 17712 (ISO/PAS 17712) compliant high security bolt seals. CBP officers will affix ISO/PAS 17712 compliant high security bolt seals immediately upon the conclusion of an inspection.
The new seal is intended to standardize the type of seal CBP officers are authorized to use, to eliminate confusion and delays for the trade community and to ensure the integrity of containerized cargo leaving CBP's possession following a physical inspection. Since only containers that are physically inspected will receive the new seals, containers undergoing non-intrusive inspections (NII) will not have them affixed.
This policy does not apply to empty containers or containers that are solely screened by non-intrusive inspection imaging technology. This policy is applicable to containerized cargo that is arriving, departing, or transiting the United States via sea or land.
CBP officers will notify the appropriate parties of the number of the container that has been examined and the serial number of the newly installed high-security bolt seal before the container is released. This generally involves notifying the broker and/or annotating the transportation documents.
|posted by Douglas N. Jacobson| Permalink 
