Arctic Shipping Electronic Commercial Clearances Pilot Program

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The ASECC Pilot Program offers approved carriers the benefits of reporting marine cargo and conveyances to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) electronically, without the requirement to physically report at a Commercial Vessel (C/VESS) port, upon arrival in Canada.

Do you qualify for the ASECC Pilot Program?

You may qualify if you:

Applying for the ASECC pilot program:

ASECC application is a two (2) part process:

Note - “Host Region” is the CBSA office responsible for the first Canadian Arctic port of discharge of cargo, or if vessel is arriving in-ballast, the host region is the region responsible for the first Canadian Arctic port of destination at which vessel is scheduled to arrive.

Carriers are permitted to transport goods that may be subject to Other Government Department (OGD) requirements. For OGD-regulated goods, the importer must submit a release request and any other required documents seven (7) days in advance of the vessel’s departure from the foreign port. Should the OGD-regulated goods need to be examined the vessel will be obligated and instructed to report to a C/VESS port.

The CBSA encourages ASECC participants to submit release request documents for all goods, including those not regulated by OGD requirements, within the same timeframes (seven (7) days in advance of the vessel’s departure from foreign port). This would enable the CBSA to review the release information and reach a final approval decision on the goods well in advance of the vessel sailing into the Arctic, in order to minimize diversions of ASECC vessels to C/VESS ports.

Carriers must receive approval from the CBSA for each part in the process. Approval of the Part 1 - Carrier Pre-Season Business Profile does not guarantee that all vessels destined for a Canadian Arctic port will receive approval to travel directly to the Arctic port. The CBSA Host Region may require any vessel that is participating in the ASECC pilot program to physically report at a designated C/VESS port, as per the Customs Act Sections 11(1) and 12(1), and the Reporting of Imported Goods Regulations.

An authorized officer of your company must complete the ASECC - Carrier Pre- Season Business Profile and email to nunavutclearance@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca, with a cc to cbsa-asfc-pans/aa@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca and asecc-deecma@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca.

The CBSA reserves the right to request additional information for the purposes of this application process.

Each division of your company that maintains its own cargo reporting system and books and records must apply separately using its own carrier code.

Need more information?

If you would like more information about the ASECC Pilot Program, call the designated Host Region based on vessel Arctic destination. Please see a list of Host Regions in Appendix II.

The following form should be used to provide the required information to apply for ASECC. Unless otherwise specified, this information should be submitted in electronic format.

Note - For security purposes, P.O. Box addresses are not acceptable as a business address; the company's physical street address is required.

Part 1 - Arctic Shipping Electronic Commercial Clearance (ASECC) Pilot Program Carrier Pre-Season Business Profile

The information you provide in this document is collected under the authority of the Customs Act for the purpose of assessing your eligibility, and if approved, for participating in the ASECC Pilot Program. The information may be disclosed to other government departments or agencies to conduct applicable checks and verifications to determine eligibility and continued eligibility in the ASECC Pilot Program. Refusal to provide any information may impact eligibility in the ASECC Pilot Program. Individuals have the right to access and to make corrections of their personal information under the Privacy Act.

In addition to completing the ASECC Application form below, please provide a brief business profile of your company. In the profile include information such as, company overview, business activities, country of ownership, information on the company fleet and charter vessels, management directory and a short history of the company.

1. Canadian Carrier Code assigned by CBSA

2. Company Operating Name

3. Legal Company Name or Legal Business Name

4. Business Address

5. Website (or N/A)

6. Contact Name

7. Number of years in the transport industry

8. Are you a member of a WCO SAFE Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) supply chain security program? (Select all that apply)

Program Title Country
Customs System of Reliable Operators (SAOC) Argentina
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Armenia
Trusted Trader Programme (TTP) Australia
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Bangladesh
Operador Económico Autorizado - OEA
(Authorized Economic Operator - AEO)
Bolivia
TransKalahari Accreditation Scheme Botswana
Brazilian AEO Programme
(Programa Brasileiro de Operador Econômico Autorizado)
Brazil
Partners in Protection (PIP) Canada
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Chile
Measures for Enterprise Credit Management (MECM) China
AEO - Authorized Economic Operator Columbia
Customs Facilitation Program for Reliable Trade (PROFAC) Costa Rica
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Cote d'Ivoire
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Programme Democratic Republic of Congo
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Dominican Republic
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Ecuador
AEO-Egypt Egypt
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO)
Operador Economico Autozado de El Salvador (OEA-SV)
El Salvador
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) European Union (EU)
Authorized Economic Operator of Guatemala (AEO-GT) Guatemala
Hong Kong Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Programme Hong Kong
Viðurkenndir rekstraraðilar (AEO) Iceland
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Programme India
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Indonesia
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Israel
Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Programme Jamaica
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Japan
Golden List Programme Jordan
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Kenya
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Korea
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Malaysia
New Programme of Certified Companies
(NEEC: Nuevo Esquema de Empresas Certificadas)
Mexico
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Montenegro
AEO - Customs Simplification Program (A or B) Morocco
Secure Exports Scheme (SES) New Zealand
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Norway
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Peru
AEO Philippines Philippines
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Republic of Macedonia
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Republic of Serbia
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Seychelles
Secure Trade Partnership (STP) Singapore
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) South Africa
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Switzerland
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Thailand
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Tunisia
AEO (in Turkish, YY: Yetkilendirilmiş Yükümlü) Turkey
Authorized Economic Operator - AEO Uganda
Customs-Trade Partnership against Terrorism (C-TPAT) United States
Qualified Economic Operator (QEO) Uruguay
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Vietnam

9. Are you a member of a Customs Compliance Program (CCP)? (Select all that apply)

Program Title Country
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Algeria
Preferred Operators Programme Angola
Blue Line (Express Customs Clearance) Brazil
High Compliant Trader Incentive Mechanism Cambodia
Performance Operators' Contracts Cameroon
Customs Self Assessment (CSA) Canada
PACE (Programa Aduanero de Cumplimiento Empresarial; Customs programme on business compliance) El Salvador
Gold Card Service Fiji
Golden List (Previous title in use during to : “Customs-Trade Cooperation”) Georgia
Accredited Client Programme (ACP) India
MITA (Mitra Utama; Facilitation Service for Priority Importers) Indonesia
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Kazakhstan
Programme Accélerée de dédouanement (Accelerated Clearance Programme or PAD) Madagascar
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Mauritius
Compliance Programme Mongolia
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Mozambique
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Russia
Compliant Trader schemes (Level 1 or 2) Rwanda
Privileged Partnerships Programme (PPP) Senegal
Simplified Customs Clearance Procedure Serbia
Preferred Trader (Accreditation Level 2) South Africa
Compliant Traders Facilitation Programme Sri Lanka
Compliant Traders' Scheme Tanzania
Secure Economic Operator Program Timor Leste
Golden List (Abu Dhabi) United Arab Emirates
Customs Accredited Clients Programme (CACP) Zambia

10. (a) Provide a list of Canadian importers (consignees) for which your company will provide cargo transportation services.

Company Name(s) Company Location(s)
1. Town/Port/City
Province/Territory
2. Town/Port/City
Province/Territory
3. Town/Port/City
Province/Territory
4. Town/Port/City
Province/Territory
5. Town/Port/City
Province/Territory

10. (b) Provide a list of Canadian exporters for which your company will provide cargo transportation services.

Company Name(s) Company Location(s)
1. Town/Port/City
Province/Territory
2. Town/Port/City
Province/Territory
3. Town/Port/City
Province/Territory
4. Town/Port/City
Province/Territory
5. Town/Port/City
Province/Territory

11. (a) Vessel Information
Provide a list of vessels expected to participate in the ASECC Pilot Program this shipping season.

11. (b) Do you contract your vessels out to other carriers/vessel operators?
Yes
No

11. (c) Which of these vessels will be participating in the ASECC Pilot Program this season?

12. Indicate the types of cargo participant vessels are expected to import/export, i.e. iron ore, mining equipment, community supplies, oil, etc.

13. Are any vessels, expected to participate in the ASECC Pilot Program, likely to carry cargo subject to OGD requirements (i.e. permits required)?
Yes
No

14. Will you be transporting goods on behalf of another carrier?
If yes, please provide a list of the carrier codes of your consortium partners.

15. Provide a short explanation why you expect ASECC will be required for your vessels

16. Estimated Date of start of your Arctic shipping season.

Security

Security is an important element of our partnership. The CBSA is looking to its partners to ensure sound security measures are implemented to help protect Canada from any unwanted persons or goods that could pose a threat to the country.

Please provide a summary outlining the process elements of the security procedures you currently have in place. Address the following elements:

Partner security

Physical security

Personnel security

Appendix I
Pre-Departure/Pre-Arrival Forms

Seven (7) days prior to departure from foreign port unless otherwise exempted:

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) ACI:

Emailed* to host region with cc to CBSA NTC:

Emailed* to host region upon arrival in Canada:

*In case of e-mail outages, the documents may be sent by fax.

All required information above must be submitted seven (7) days prior to departure from foreign port. Failure to do so will result in diversion to a C/VESS even if the vessel had been approved to sail directly.

Appendix II
Contact Information

Host Regions

Quebec Region:
cbsa.marinequebecmain-maritimequebeccentre.asfc@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca, Fax: 418-649-6259

Northern Ontario Region:
nunavut_clearance@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca, Fax: (613) 991-6912

Atlantic Region:
np12rexc01g@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca, Fax: (902) 426-2129

Prairie Region:
nwtclearance@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca, Fax: (204) 984-7048

Pacific Region:
953npcu69g@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca, Fax: (604) 666-2962

Cc:
CBSA National Targeting Centre at cbsa-asfc-pans/aa@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca and asecc-deecma@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca

Appendix III
List of AEOs & CCPs Operational and Upcoming AEO Programs

An authorized economic operator, or AEO, is defined as:

A party involved in the international movement of goods in whatever function that has been approved by or on behalf of a national Customs administration as complying with WCO or equivalent supply chain security standards. Authorized Economic Operators include inter alia manufacturers, importers, exporters, brokers, carriers, consolidators, intermediaries, ports, airports, terminal operators, integrated operators, warehouses and distributors.

Operators can be accredited by Customs as AEOs when they prove to have high quality internal processes that will prevent goods in international transport to be tampered with. i.e.:

Instructions for completing the ASECC Application

Field no. 1 - Canadian Carrier Code assigned by CBSA: Enter the 4 digit CBSA assigned carrier code.

Field no. 2 - Company Operating Name: Enter the operating name of the shipping line applying for ASECC.

Field no. 3 - Legal Business Name: Enter the legal name of the shipping line applying for ASECC.

Field no. 4 - Business Address: Enter the full business address of the shipping line applying for ASECC.

*Note: P.O. Box addresses are not acceptable as a business address.

Field no. 5 - Website: Enter the shipping line's website address (if available).

Field no. 6 - Contact Name: Enter the name of the contact in the company responsible for applying for ASECC.

Field no. 7 - Number of years: Indicate the total number of years the current shipping company has been in the transport industry.

Field no. 8 - Member of a WCO SAFE AEO: Indicate by selecting all applicable options if the shipping company is a member of a World Customs Organization, SAFE Framework of Standards, Authorized Economic Operator. A list of all available SAFE AEOs can be found in Appendix III of this application.

Field no.9 - Member of a CCP: Indicate, by selecting all applicable options, if the shipping company is a member of a Customs Compliance Program. A list of all available CCPs can be found in Appendix III of this application.

Field no. 10 (a) - Provide a list of Canadian Importers (Consignees) for which your company will provide cargo transportation services: If known, please enter the importer(s) name, town/port/city and province. For example, the name of the consignee with whom you have a contract, to import goods. If there are more than five (5) different companies, you may submit the others on a separate document.

Field no. 10 (b) - Provide a list of Canadian Exporters for which your company will provide cargo transportation services: If known, please enter the exporter(s) name, town/port/city and province. For example, the name of the mining company with whom you have a contract, to export goods. If there are more than five (5) different companies, you may submit the others on a separate document.

Field no. 11 (a) - Vessel Information: Provide a complete list of vessels that are expected to participate in the ASECC Pilot Program in the current season. If there are more than five (5) different vessels, you may submit the others on a separate document. You must provide the vessel's registered name, the ship identification number (IMO), and the vessel type: Tanker, Ro-Ro, Bulk, Break-bulk, Tanker, General Cargo, other. If Bulk, please indicate whether liquid or dry bulk. You may indicate more than one type. If `Other' describe type of vessel, for example a tug or Ro-ro type vessel.

Field no. 11 (b) - Vessel Contract out: Indicate if the shipping company contracts, (leases out, charters) any of its vessels to a different operator.

Field no. 11 (c) - List all the vessels that the shipping company contracts out to other operators which will be participating in the ASECC Pilot Program.

Field no. 12 - Type of Cargo: Indicate the type of cargo the ASECC participant is expected to import or export. Be as precise as possible in the description.

Non-Acceptable description: Mining

Acceptable description: iron ore, fuel, oil, community supplies

Field no. 13 - Cargo subjected to OGD requirements: Indicate if any cargo being transported into the Canadian Arctic is subjected to OGD requirements. For example, if the cargo requires permits, contains dangerous goods or are subject to CFIA requirements.

Field no. 14 - Consortium Partners: Provide a list of carrier codes of your consortium partners.

Field no. 15 - Explanation: Provide a short explanation as to why you require the ASECC Pilot Program for your shipping company. Indicate a reasonable threshold of difficulty in physically reporting at a designated C/VESS port upon arrival in Canadian waters, prior to continuing the voyage to the Arctic destination. The rationale may be related to costs, distance from point of arrival in Canadian waters to the C/VESS port, draft restrictions, etc.

Field no. 16 - Date of arrival: Indicate an approximate or the actual date of arrival in the Arctic for the current ASECC season.

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