Comply or else from February 2

THE US “24-hour rule” - which demands that seafreight cargoes bound for or via the States must be manifested 24-hrs before ship sailing - has caused no serious problems up to now, according to shipping lines running the SA-US trade. But the 60-day probationary period, when no penalties were imposed for non-compliance, comes to an end on February 2 and after that, it’s gloves off, according to the American customs. US customs commissioner Robert Bonner has made it very clear that they will begin enforcement of this new “Advance Manifest Rule” from that deadline date. Lines in SA, meantime, have been doing their best to make sure that clients do comply. “They have to be compliant,” said Barry New, m.d. of P&O Nedlloyd SA, “or the cargo doesn’t get shipped because penalties apply from February 2.”