U.S. Customs Advises on Canada Port Diversions

(Journal of Commerce Online)

Customs and Border Protection has issued a bulletin providing carriers with guidance to ensure compliance with advance manifest filing for vessels that are diverted to Los Angeles-Long Beach in the United States in the event of a longshore labor disruption at ports in western Canada.

Contract negotiations are scheduled to continue later this week between the British Columbia Maritime Employers’ Association and dock foremen represented by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. A strike or lockout could occur by January 12.

Customs stated that if a carrier drops a Canadian first port of call, and comes directly to the U.S. with Canadian-destination cargo that has not been subjected to 24-hour advance manifest filing, a carrier must notify CBP at the designated first port of arrival as soon as it realizes it is not going to make the foreign port of call. Read more here.