This form may be used pursuant to 19 CFR 103.31, which allows importers, consignees, and shippers to file certifications for confidential treatment for certain inward and outward vessel manifest information, such as importer and/or shipper names and addresses. In addition to electronically filing certifications, certifications can be mailed to: Disclosure Law Officer, Headquarters, U.S. Customs Service, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W., Washington, DC 20229.

According to 19 CFR 103.31, there is no prescribed format for a certification; however, the certification shall include the importer's/consignee's/shipper's Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Employer Number, if available.

Confidential Treatment May be Requested for Inward and/or Outward Manifests

With respect to inward vessel manifests, 19 CFR 103.31 provides that an importer or consignee (or their authorized employee, attorney, or official) may submit a certification for confidential treatment of:

· the importer or consignee names and addresses (including marks and numbers which reveal these names and addresses); and

· the names and addresses of all of the shippers to such importer or consignee.

For information appearing on the outward manifest, 19 CFR 103.31 allows a shipper (or their authorized employee or official) to submit a certification for confidential treatment of the shipper's name and address.

Fields That Need to be Completed on CBP’s New Web Form

CBP’s web form can be used for inward and/or outward vessel manifest confidentiality requests. The web form requires the following fields to be completed:

· requestor’s name, address, phone number, email address, and role

· relationship of party making request: first party, on behalf of self or company, or third party representative or agent

· date of submission

· the type of confidentiality requested (inward, outward, or both)

· whether the requestor is an individual importing personal effects or household goods, or other

· the tax ID number

· variations of names to be protected

Certifications Valid for Two Years Only

Both initial and renewal certifications are valid for a period of two years only. Renewal certifications should be submitted at least 60 days prior to the expiration of the current certification.

Info Covered by Certification May Not Be Published by the Press/Included on CDs Sold to the Public

Although 19 CFR 103.31 allows accredited representatives of the press, including newspapers, commercial magazines, trade journals, and similar publications, to examine, copy, and publish certain vessel manifest and summary statistical information on imports and exports, any information covered by a confidential certification may only be examined and copied by the press; it cannot be published. In addition, information covered by a confidential certification will not be included on the CD-ROMS of Automated Manifest System (AMS) data that are sold to the public.

Confidentiality web form:

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/automated/automated_systems/ams/vessel_manifest_confid_form.xml

For additional information and guidance, please feel free to contact  your local NNR representative.

On March 25, 2010 Japan Airlines announced that it will discontinue all freighter service by October 2010.  JAL will move toward a new cargo business model which solely utilizes cargo belly space on JAL’s passenger flights.  JAL currently operates 10 747-100 freighters and plans to remove these aircraft from it’s fleet.

JAL is the sixth-largest air freight carrier in Asia, and this move will undoubtedly further impact air freight capacity in the Asia Pacific region.  JAL had been seeking to merge it’s cargo operations with Nippon Yusen, but merger talks ended early in March.

Green strategies can add to the corporate bottom line. It is a perfect “win win situation” by improving the environment and generating profits at the same time by reducing costs and enhancing your brand image. The opportunities are being accelerated as governments around the world create incentives to stimulate green technology advances. In the United States, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 allocated approximately $75 billion toward clean energy initiatives. Local and state governments are starting to create the same incentives on a smaller scale. Companies are scrambling to take advantage of these opportunities through the development of new technologies that will allow businesses to reduce their energy consumption, decrease the costs of fuels, reduce waste and become a more sustainable, carbon-neutral organization.

The possibility of having CO2 emission limits or penalties pushed down to companies is getting closer to reality. The Copenhagen Accord created in December 2009 both acknowledged the problem of climate change and states that “deep cuts in global emissions are required according to science”. Developed countries committed to emissions reduction targets by 2020. Developing countries committed to implementing mitigation actions to slow their growth in emissions. There are still many obstacles to be overcome before specific legislation is implemented, but the commitments could conceivably create a bonanza of opportunity for green technology companies. At the same time it could result in an explicit cost on every corporation’s income statement for CO emissions also known as a “Carbon Tax”.

A particular product’s environmental impact consists of a complex web of manufacturing processes, power consumption, and transportation of components and finished goods. By incorporating carbon reduction into their overall SCM strategy, companies can help reduce their environmental emissions footprint, strengthen their brand image, reduce costs and develop competitive advantages. Therefore, companies are looking for new approaches to managing carbon effectively — from sourcing and production, to distribution and product afterlife.

When assessing your firm’s carbon footprint, you must start from the upstream purchase of production materials to the delivery of the finished product to the customer and the packaging waste that is left.  However, the actual transportation of goods most likely creates the highest carbon impact in your supply chain.  NNR is now offering a free white paper to get you started on analyzing your organizations logistics emissions.  You can obtain a copy of the report here:  Managing Logistics Emissions Whitepaper.