Automated Export System Workshops

Tropical Shipping recently hosted 5 workshops in Miami, West Palm Beach and Puerto Rico as well as 3 webinar sessions to provide information and education to our customers about the Mandatory AES Regulations.

Tropical customers throughout the U.S., Puerto Rico, the Bahamas and the Caribbean took part in each of the workshops, which featured a detailed presentation about the new ruling and a question-and-answer segment. These events are part of Tropical’s ongoing commitment to provide the most comprehensive shipping services to our customers and the communities we serve.

“Our goal was to educate the customers and assist them in making changes to their processes so that they will be in compliance with the new regulations and their cargo will be able to sail,” said Stephanie Duncan who is Tropical Shipping’s Transportation Compliance Manager.

The Mandatory AES (Automated Export System) 24- Hour Rule went into effect on July 2, 2008 but provided for an informed compliance time frame that allowed the trade to be prepared before full enforcement on October 1, 2008. The U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection now requires mandatory filing of export information through the Automated Manifest System (AES) or through AESDirect for all shipments where a Shippers Export Declaration or SED (now called Electronic Export Information or EEI) was previously required.

The new regulations effect cargo being exported from the United States, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Ocean carriers are now required to have filing citations and exemption legends in their possession and available for Customs for all cargo 24 hours before loading the vessel. This requires the shipper to have the documentation completed earlier and the EEI filed 24 hours before loading the vessel. There is the potential of cargo missing the vessel if documentation has not been received within the mandated time frame, which impacts when the consignee will receive their cargo.

This ruling impacts how carriers like Tropical handle export documentation. To ensure timely processing of documents Tropical Shipping revised their cut-offs for export documentation, which went into effect July 7, 2008. Tropical commenced enforcement of the revised cut-offs for export documentation on October 1, 2008. The purpose of implementing the revised cut-offs between July 7 – October 1 was to allow our customers time to make the necessary adjustments prior to enforcement of the new regulations and allow our Sales Representatives to contact their customers to explain the new regulations.

We have attached printable PDF’s of the departure schedules below for your reference. The updated schedules can also be found on our website www.tropical.com.