GT Nexus, which runs an on-demand global trade and logistics portal, has launched Easy ISF; a service designed to help US importers comply with the Importer Security Filing, or ISF rule, which will be compulsory from January 2010.
Under the legislation US importers must file ten pieces of information related to their inbound container shipments 24 hours before the ocean vessel is loaded at the port of origin.
Those who fail to comply will face fines of up to $5,000 (£3,000) per container, plus shipment delays.
The legislation, also known as 10+2, was introduced by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) earlier this year in a move to identify potential high-risk shipments for further inspection.
Users can make unlimited 10+2 filings to CBP using the service, which is available for importers, brokers, 3PLs and freight forwarders, and then manage responses online.
“The 10+2 rule has the importer community scrambling,” said Greg Johnsen, executive vice president and founder at GT Nexus.
“Importers and their partners are having a hard time assembling the required information 24 hours before vessels are loaded at origin. Since the GT Nexus Portal is already the ocean industry utility for managing end-to-end ocean shipment information, this service is a natural extension for us,” he said.
Easy ISF gives importers access to a standard online application to enter and validate the ten data elements required by CBP. The system will also collect the ISF response and status advisories from CBP, and present them to the importer in a format where all filing activities can be viewed on a single online dashboard.
