Industry-leading Ocean eManifest for the U.S.

The ACE Ocean eManifest is a digital filing system established by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as part of the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) program. It is designed to facilitate the electronic transmission of manifest data for ocean cargo shipments entering the United States. Under the ACE Ocean eManifest program, ocean carriers, freight forwarders, customs brokers and importers involved in the transportation of goods by ocean vessel are required to submit electronic manifest information to CBP at least 24 hours before the vessel arrives at a U.S. port of entry. For containerized, bulk, and break bulk cargo, the eManifest must be confirmed by CBP at least 4 hours before the vessel arrives, while eManifests for empty containers must be submitted 24 hours before arrival. If the voyage is less than 24 hours in duration, cargo and conveyance data must be reported at the time of departure from the foreign port. Failure to submit eManifests in a timely manner could result in delays, penalties or entry refusal. 

The primary purpose of ACE Ocean is to enable CBP to screen and assess cargo before it is loaded onto vessels. This pre-screening process allows CBP to make informed decisions regarding the loading of cargo, enhancing security measures and facilitating smoother border crossings. 

Ocean carriers are required to send manifests along with bills of lading, vessel departure information, and vessel arrival details. On the other hand, freight forwarders are responsible for submitting manifests along with bills of lading. These requirements apply to all vessels carrying commercial goods arriving at a port in the US. This includes both import shipments and Freight Remaining on Board (FROB) shipments. 

You will need a Standard Carrier Alpha Code (SCAC). The SCAC is a unique 4-digit identifier assigned by the National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA). It is essential for carriers and freight forwarders to have a SCAC to facilitate submissions to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). 

To set up with the ACE, the following bonds are necessary:

• International Carrier (C3) Bond: Required for Ocean Vehicle Carriers (NVOCC/MVOCC).
• Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) Bond or Ocean Transportation Intermediary (OTI) Bond.

Once you have obtained the necessary bonds mentioned above, you can proceed to sign up online with us to begin utilizing our services.

When your account setup is successfully completed by our Billing Department, you’re all set to begin filing and submitting your ACE Ocean eManifests. 

ACE Ocean eManifest: SCAC, ETA, Vessel Name, Mode of Transport, Voyage Number, Port of Discharge, Paperless Inbond Participant (Y/N), Issuer SCAC.

Bill of Lading: Bill Indicator, Issuer SCAC, Bill Number, Carrier SCAC, Place of Receipt, Port of Loading, Last Foreign Port, Commercial Parties (Shipper, Consignee, Notify Party if available), Container Details, Goods Details: Container #, Goods Description, Number of packages, Package UOM < Marks and Number, Gross Weight and UOM, Volum and UOM. Total Packages and UOM, Total Gross Weight and UOM Total Volum and UOM.