24-hour rule could soon cover US exports

Legislation on the drawing boards
Joy Orlek
THE ’24-hour rule’ imposed by the United States on all seafreight cargoes bound for or via the States could soon be extended to US exports in a move by global partners to tighten the security net. The legislation - which demands that cargo is manifested 24 hours before ship sailing – appears to have caused no serious problems up to now, with the country’s trading partners having adapted their systems to meet the requirements. While there are moves afoot to extend the scope of information required for imports in terms of ultimate ownership of the cargo and its contents, an export 24-hour rule is pending. “24 hour regulations for US exports have taken second priority to the import rules,” says New York based Safmarine Inc president John Boudreau, and while a similar ruling for exports has long been on the drawing boards, the implementation date is still not final. In terms of SA compliance with the ruling, cargo owners appear to have measured up. The likes of Eastern Europe and West Africa traditionally have been more of a concern in terms of security compliance, according to Boudreau. “There are criteria to be met by each of the ports from which we import and South Africa has posed no extraordinary challenges.”