US Customs and Border Protection expands advanced cargo screening pilot

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) says it is expanding the Air Cargo Advance Screening (ACAS) pilot, which allows members of the air cargo industry to send and receive advance security filing data for their air cargo.

The CBP announcement was made in the Federal Register Notice, which sets forth eligibility requirements for participation and invites public comment. Participation in the pilot is voluntary and open to companies active in the air cargo supply chain, including passenger airlines, all-cargo carriers, freight forwarders and express carriers.

Through the ACAS pilot, the CBP and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) receive the advance security filing of cargo data to help identify cargo shipments inbound to the US that may be high risk and require physical screening.

Identifying high-risk shipments as early as possible in the air cargo supply chain provides CBP and TSA an opportunity to conduct a comprehensive review of cargo data while facilitating the movement of legitimate trade into the US, reports 4-Traders.

ACAS was introduced in the wake of the discovery of explosives concealed in packages on US-bound aircraft from Yemen in October 2010. As of last March, 14 million transactions have been processed through the ACAS pilot.