Beginning October 15, all containers to the USA are required to be sealed with a seal meeting the standard
The US Customs and Border Protection agency (CBP) officially announced that all loaded containers, including foreign cargo remaining on board (FROB), arriving by vessel at a port of entry in the United States on or after October 15, 2008, are required to be sealed with a seal meeting the ISO/PAS 17712 standard. This standard requires that container freight seals meet or exceed certain standards for strength and durability so as to prevent accidental breakage, early deterioration (due to weather conditions, chemical action, etc.) or undetectable tampering under normal usage. ISO/PAS 17712 also requires that each seal be clearly and legibly marked with a unique identification number.
Furthermore, vessel carriers must transmit all seal numbers to CBP 24 hours before cargo is laden aboard a vessel at a foreign port via the Vessel Automated Manifest System (AMS).
CBP recognizes that there are types of containers that cannot be readily secured by use of a container freight seal meeting the ISO/PAS 17712 standard. These include tanks, non-standard containers (such as open top containers), or containers that simply cannot accommodate a seal meeting the ISO/PAS 17712 standard (such as custom built containers). These types of containers are not subject to the statutory requirement.
CBP further states that containers arriving on or after October 15, 2008 with no seal or with a seal that is not compliant with the standard, will be viewed as violations of the law, and penalties may be assessed.
For the full text of the notice, click here
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