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Forwarded to you by:
James A. Steinert, Tons News Editor, North America. He can be contacted at (310) 338-0337 or E-mail at jsteinert@tonslogistics.com  .

April 18, 2011

Information on Mexico Advanced Manifest Filing

On May 1, 2011 Mexico Advanced Manifest System (SAM) requirements are scheduled to become mandatory for air cargo.

This regulation requires that an advanced electronic declaration be filed for goods being carried by air transportation to allow customs authorities to assess the security risk of cargo into and out of the customs territory of Mexico. The regulation applies to:

- Goods to be imported into Mexico;
- Goods to be exported out of Mexico;
- Goods to be transshipped through a Mexico port for a destination outside of Mexico;
- Goods to be re-loaded in a Mexico port for transit to a destination outside the Mexico; and
- Freight Remaining on Board (FROB)

The timing requirements for sending SAM data to bring the goods into Mexico are as follows:
- Short haul flights (with a duration less than four hours) must be filed upon departure;
- Long haul flights (with a duration over four hours) must be filed at least 4 hours prior to arrival at the first airport within the Mexican customs territory.

It is the responsibility of both the airline carrier and the freight forwarder to submit the SAM within the required deadline.

Carriers will need to receive the following information in order to submit a filing:

Shipper Information
The Shipper Name and Address must identify the foreign party initiating the shipment.
It must include the full company name and address and must be a foreign address.
The indication of freight forwarder, carrier, or consolidator as the shipper is not acceptable.
Consignee Information
The name and address of the Consignee to whom the cargo will be delivered is required. They do not
need to be located in the arrival or destination port.
Quantity Shipped
The quantity documented by the shipper must be in the smallest external packing unit. If the cargo is on
pallets, the shipper must advise the respective carton count as well, i.e. 5 pallets containing 100 cartons.
Cargo Description
A precise cargo description sufficient to identify the commodity shipped must be supplied. Vague or
unclear cargo descriptions will increase potential holds and exams.

Permission to land at any international airport in Mexico may be denied if advance electronic information for incoming foreign cargo aboard an aircraft has not been received by Mexico customs.

Additional goods descriptions guidelines can be found on the Mexico Customs website:
http://www.aduanas.sat.gob.mx/aduana_mexico/2011/home.asp

 

FDA's PREDICT Application to Launch Nationally

During her testimony before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations on April 13, 2011, Commissioner Margaret Hamburg of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated that the Predictive Risk-based Evaluation for Dynamic Import Compliance Targeting application (PREDICT) was on track to be released nation-wide this year.

According to Commissioner Hamburg's testimony, "Currently, using risk-management strategies, FDA screens each shipment electronically to determine if the shipment meets identified criteria for physical examination or sampling and analysis, or warrants other review by FDA personnel. PREDICT represents a significant enhancement to FDA’s targeting ability by enabling the Agency to use data from a much wider range of sources to inform our entry decisions."

The testimony also noted that PREDICT's ability to better identify high-risk shipments allows FDA to focus its resources where they will have the most impact. This results in an increase in the number of volatile shipments that are intercepted, and a decrease in the time it takes for low-risk shipments to enter the country.

PREDICT was originally scheduled to be released nationally in 2010 but was delayed due to technical issues. It is currently in use in Los Angeles, New York, Seattle and San Francisco, with coverage expanding to FDA's Florida and San Juan Districts later this month.


Commissioner Hamburg's written testimony can be viewed online at:
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Testimony/ucm250710.htm

 

DOS Proposes Amending ITAR Definition of Defense Services

In a Federal Register notice published on April 13, 2011 the U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced a proposed rule to amend the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to update the policy regarding defense services and to clarify the scope of activities that are considered defense services, among other changes.

After review, the DOS determined that the current definition of defense services was overly broad and captured some activities that did not warrant control. As such, a number of changes were made:
- Focus has been narrowed to "furnishing of assistance (including training) using ‘other than public domain data’, integrating items into defense articles, or training of foreign forces in the employment of defense articles."
- Adds a provision to control the "integration" of items into the U.S. Munitions List of controlled defense articles
- Specifies that training for foreign units or forces will be considered a defense service only if it involves the use of a defense article
- Provides examples of activities that do not constitute defense services

In addition to other updates, the proposed rule also removes the requirement to seek the Directorate of Defense Trade Control's approval if the defense service used public domain data that is otherwise exempt from ITAR licensing requirements.

Public comments on the proposed rule will be accepted until June 13, 2011.


http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-04-13/pdf/2011-8998.pdf

 

 

Tons News, for current and past issues of Tons News by E-mail request from tonsnews@tonslogistics.com  or call (310) 338-0337.

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Tons News is compiled from a number of public sources that, to the best of Tons knowledge, are true and correct. It is our intent to present only accurate information. However, in the event any information contained herein is erroneous, Tons accepts no liability or responsibility.