Supply Chain Security Glossary
24-hour Rule — 24-Hour Electronic Transmission of Advance Cargo Manifests — Twenty-four hours before any container is loaded onto a vessel bound for the United States, CBP (see below) receives advanced electronic transmission of cargo manifests. The information is analyzed by CBP's Automated Targeting System (see ATS below) to compare against law enforcement data, the latest threat intelligence and the shippers' history in order to identify high-risk cargo shipments that require further review, inspection or denial of loading.
AMS — Automated Manifest System. A multi-modular cargo inventory control and release notification system through which carriers submit their electronic cargo declaration 24 hours before loading (see 24-hour Rule above).
ATS — Automated Targeting System. A system (computer model) put in place by CBP to detect suspicious shipments, incorporating terrorism related targeting tools by inspecting cargo manifests and combining intelligence on suspicious trading patterns and warnings from other government agencies.
Bill of Lading — Official legal document representing ownership of cargo, a negotiable document to receive cargo, and the contract for cargo between the shipper and the carrier.
Carrier (or Freight Carrier) — Companies that haul freight, also called "for-hire" carriers. Methods of transportation include trucking, railroads, airlines, and sea-borne shipping.
CBP — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Formed during the creation of the Department of Homeland Security in 2003, CBP consists primarily of the customs inspection function formerly performed by the U.S. Customs Service as part of the Department of Treasury, the immigration inspection function formerly performed by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), and the Border Patrol, formerly part of the Department of Justice.
Consignor — see Shipper below.
CSD — Container Security Device. An electronic device or system used to secure a container and detect tampering of the container doors.
CSI — Container Security Initiative. A customs-to-customs partnership, CSI represents a security regime to ensure all containers that pose a potential risk for terrorism are identified and inspected at foreign ports before they are placed on vessels destined for the United States. Through CSI, CBP officers work with host customs administrations to establish security criteria for identifying high-risk containers. CSI is currently operational at 44 of the largest foreign ports.
C-TPAT — Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism. A voluntary, joint government-business initiative designed to standardize and ensure the integrity of participating members' security practices and enable cargo to move more efficiently. C-TPAT currently has 5,777 certified members, of which 1,545 have been fully validated and 2,262 are in the process of being validated.
Entry Data — Cargo data filed at the port of entry to CBP that is used to determine when cargo will be cleared to leave a port. Entry data includes the manufacturer's identification number, the importer's identification number, country of origin of the goods, and a more precise description of merchandise. Appropriate elements of entry data have been deemed to be better than manifest data for risk-targeting.
Examination — As defined by CBP, an examination is either (1) a physical inspection of a container or other conveyance; or, (2) the imaging of a container or other conveyance using large-scale Non-Intrusive Inspection technology.
GreenLane — A concept that would give C-TPAT members that demonstrate the highest standard of secure practices additional benefits for exceeding the minimum requirements of the program. GreenLane benefits would include expedited movement of cargo, especially during an incident of national significance.
IMO — International Maritime Organization. The United Nations' specialized agency responsible for improving maritime safety. Provides mechanism for cooperation among governments regarding regulations and practices relating to technical matters affecting shipping engaged in international trade; encourages and facilitates general adoption of the highest standards regarding maritime safety, efficiency of navigation and prevention of pollution from ships.
Importer — see shipper below.
Inspecting — Signifies manual inspection of containers. The government inspects 5.5% - 6% of all inbound containers (those that raise a red flag in the government screening process) using either X-ray or gamma ray technology or through physical inspection of the container. This is the “5%” inspection rate often cited in debate. syn. — see Examination. (Note: CBP's definition of Screening can also mean "Inspecting" as defined here OR the screening of information; see definition of Screening below.);
ICIS — Integrated Container Inspection System. A container scanning pilot program in Hong Kong operated by private industry. ICIS blends gamma ray imaging, radiation monitoring and optical scanning equipment. The pilot project is in place at two terminals in Hong Kong.
ISO — International Organization for Standardization. A worldwide federation of national standards bodies from some 130 countries, ISO is a non-governmental organization established in 1947 to promote the development of standardization facilitating international trade. ISO's work results in international agreements that are published as International Standards. (see Seals)
ISPS — International Ship and Port Facility Security Code adopted by the IMO (see above) and based on the U.S. MTSA (see below), came into force on July 1, 2004. It is a comprehensive, mandatory security regime for international shipping and port facility operations agreed to by the members of the IMO. Ships must be certified by their flag states to ensure that mandated security measures have been implemented; port facilities must undergo security vulnerability assessments that form the basis of security plans approved by their government authorities.
Joint Operation Centers for Maritime Security — Centers to be established to ensure a coordinated response and the rapid resumption of the flow of commerce in the event of a maritime security incident and co-located with Coast Guard sector command centers, approximately 15-20 nationwide. Primary responsibilities to include: facilitating cooperation between private sector and government security agencies (at local, state, and federal levels), sharing of information and intelligence related to cargo security, and lead local after-incident response for trade resumption.
Manifest — Document that lists in detail all the bills of lading (see above) issued by a vessel or its agent or master, i.e., a detailed summary of the total cargo of a vessel. Used principally for customs purposes. Also known as "summary of bills of lading."
MTSA — Maritime Transportation Security Act. Law passed in 2002 to create a comprehensive national system of transportation security enhancements. The MTSA designated the U.S. Coast Guard as the lead federal agency for maritime homeland security and requires federal agencies, ports, and vessel owners to take numerous steps to upgrade security. The MTSA requires the Coast Guard to develop national and regional area maritime transportation security plans and requires seaports, waterfront terminals, and vessels to submit security and incident response plans to the Coast Guard for approval. The MTSA also requires the Coast Guard to conduct antiterrorism assessments of certain foreign ports.
OBL — Ocean Bill of Lading (Ocean B/L). Document indicating that the exporter will consign a shipment to an international carrier for transportation to a specified foreign market. Unlike an inland B/L, the ocean B/L also serves as a collection document. [Note: for Original Bill of Lading, see definition for Bill of Lading above.]
NII — Non-Intrusive Inspection technology. Originally developed to address the threat of smugglers using increasingly sophisticated techniques to conceal narcotics deep in commercial cargo and conveyances, NII systems, in many cases, give Customs inspectors the capability to perform thorough examinations of cargo without having to resort to the costly, time consuming process of unloading cargo for manual searches, or intrusive examinations of conveyances by methods such as drilling and dismantling.
NVOOC — Non Vessel Owning Ocean Carrier. (a) A cargo consolidator of small shipments in ocean trade, generally soliciting business and arranging for or performing containerization functions at the port. (b) A carrier issuing Bs/L for carriage of goods on vessel which he neither owns nor operates.
Port authorities — Local government entities whose role is akin to landlords that lease lots for a wide variety of activities, including cargo loading and unloading. Port authorities are not responsible for providing shore-side operations, which is the responsibility of terminal operators (see below) or steamship operators who also provide landside operations.
RFID — Radio Frequency Identification. Technology used for tracking. RFID tags can be used to track container movements based on a radio frequency signal. Radio frequency transceivers are now in common use. The latest radiation detection portals and container scanning equipment are being combined into a single unit and capture images of trucks moving at speeds up to ten mph. Large ports would need several to ensure that the screening process would not slow the flow of trucks.
Seal (container seal) — A device fastened to the doors of a container used to secure its contents and insure the integrity of a shipment. Standardization of seal types, including definition of "high-security seal", is established by ISO (see above).
“Smart” Seal (e-Seal) — Next generation technology — a container seal that is intended to be "more secure" than a mechanical seal and can include information such as manifest information. Requires a centralized database to receive and process the information. Variations on smart seal concepts include seals designed to track the time and location of a container during transit, including by truck, rail, or vessel.
Screening (1) — Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) defines screening as a passive means of scanning a conveyance, baggage or cargo. CBP screens conveyances, baggage, and cargoes with radiation portal monitors and other radiation detection equipment for the presence of radiological emissions — i.e., nuclear screening.
Screening (2) — CBP also use the term "screen" to describe the targeting and risk management process. CBP screens information on 100% of import containers through its ATS (see above) 24 hours before they are loaded onto US-bound vessels. Each and every container identified as high risk is subsequently inspected either in the foreign port of loading or upon arrival in the U.S. by CBP. (see Inspecting)
Shipper (or consignor) — The person or entity for whom the owners of a ship agree to carry goods to a specified destination at a specified price.
Stevedore — Company that provides equipment and hires workers to transfer cargo between ships and docks. Stevedore companies may also serve as terminal operators. The laborers hired by the stevedoring firms are called stevedores or longshoremen.
Terminal operator — The company that operates cargo handling activities on a wharf. A terminal operator oversees unloading cargo from ship to dock, checking the quantity of cargoes against the ship’s manifest (list of goods), transferring of the cargo into the shed, checking documents authorizing a trucker to pick up cargo, overseeing the loading/unloading of railroad cars, etc.
TSA – Transportation Security Administration. TSA was created in response to the attacks of September 11th and signed into law in November 2001. TSA was originally in the Department of Transportation but was moved to the Department of Homeland Security in March 2003. TSA's mission is to protect the nation’s transportation systems by ensuring the freedom of movement for people and commerce.
TWIC — Transportation Workers Identification Credential. TSA's TWIC program is meant to improve security by establishing a tamper resistant common credential to be used by personnel who require access to secure and sensitive areas of the nation’s transportation system. The TWIC uses biometric information about the cardholder to positively authenticate identity of holders. Mandated by Congress; yet to be fully implemented.
U.S. Coast Guard — The Coast Guard is the lead federal agency for maritime security. The Coast Guard Captain of the Port is the lead federal security officer at U.S. ports.
VACIS — Vehicle and Cargo Inspection System technology. VACIS is an advanced technology that uses a gamma ray imaging system to provide a non-invasive image of cargo contents. CBP has placed VACIS technology at major cargo terminal facilities throughout the nation to inspect containers for dangerous substances and devices.
References:
www.cbp.gov
www.customs.gov
www.secureports.org
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