CBP Plans to Fully Deploy M1 in Late Jan 2012, Eliminate Rail & Sea AMS in July
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials recently stated that the agency is "on track" to fully deploy e-Manifest: Ocean and Rail (M1) at the end of January 2012. The agency has done a lot of testing and is ahead of schedule internally to meet this deadline. In addition, a group of three carriers is waiting for the go-ahead to send manifests in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE), which can be set up in a three-week time frame.
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CBP Working to Ensure All Data Synced
Right now, officials state that CBP is just working to make sure that everything is synced. Officials noted that syncing ACS data with ACE data is time consuming and expensive, and takes money away from ACE development. Consequently, when an ACE system is documented as fully deployed, there will be an end date in six months of the ACS system it replaces.
M1 Expected to be Fully Deployed in Early 2012, Turn Off ACS AMS 6 Months Later
For M1, officials state that once it is fully deployed and documented as such, CBP will turn off ACS AMS sea and rail manifests six months from that date. Given the success of CBP's work with M1 to date, all those conducting AMS filing in ACS are expected to have to file in ACE (M1) beginning in July 2012.
(See ITT's Online Archives 11100503 for summary of CBP reposting its information on M1. See ITT's Online Archives 11082909 for summary stating that the code for M1 was loaded on August 27, 2011 and that there would be no operational use of the new M1 system until it is deemed fully operational and stable, after which the agency would notify trade partners that have completed their certification and testing that they can begin transmitting to ACE.
Note that CBP extended the deadline for brokers to create ACE entry banks for rail line release to October 14, 2011, and noted that there was a problem that prevented users from viewing and creating ACE Entry Banks. Once the problem is resolved, CBP will notify the trade. See ITT's Online Archives 11092702 for summary.)