Customs Implements Rule on Ship Manifests

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img src="/sites/default/files/images/articles/printeditiontag_new.gif" width=120 align=right>A Customs Service rule requiring maritime carriers to provide a manifest at least 24 hours before ships leave a foreign port for the United States went into effect Dec. 2, but will not be strictly enforced until February, the agency said.

"Knowing the contents of a container before it is loaded onto a ship bound for the United States is a critical part of our efforts to guard against the terrorist threat," Customs Commissioner Robert Bonner said in a statement. Previously, Customs did not require a manifest from carriers prior to docking.

But the rule will not directly affect domestic trucking and should not change the volume of freight being moved into the United States, said Bill Wanamaker, director of intermodal transport for American Trucking Associations.

For the full story, see the Dec. 16 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.