From January 1st 2009 all cargo bound for China will be subject to the 24 hours advance manifest rule.
A manifest is a document that lists all cargo carried on a specific vessel. According to the new regulation, carriers undertaking shipments to China must submit manifest details to Chinese customs 24 hours before a ship arrives at the port of loading anywhere in the world. All airfreight carriers will be required to submit full manifest electronically 4 hours before departure.
Upon screening of manifest data received, the Chinese customs will advise back to the carrier whether or not the cargo can be allowed into China. Only if customs feedback is positive, the cargo will be accepted on board a ship. Under no circumstance, the carrier will be allowed to load cargo on board if manifest filing is rejected by Chinese customs.
The loss of 24 hours to the current manifest filling of 48 hours will have a significant impact on the way carriers handle their documentation and operations for shipments bound for China. The shipping lines and their clients will be forced to adjust their internal workflow in order to meet the different time scale required by this new rule.Only the US and Canada have enforced such rules so far in order to prevent arms and ammunition from entering through the sea route.
