: New Electronic Messages in Exports in SCMTR, 2019

OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS (EXPORT)

EDI SECTION, 1ST FLOOR, NEW BUILDING,

NEW CUSTOM HOUSE, BALLARD ESTATE, MUMBAI- 400001

F. No. S/1- 09/2019-20 EDI Date: 11.08.2020 Public Notice No. 49 /2020 DIN No: 202008770000007T632A Sub: New Electronic Messages in Exports in SCMTR, 2019-reg.

Kind attention of all the Exporters, Customs Brokers, Custodian and all other stakeholders is invited to CBIC Advisory No 28/2020 dated 07.08.2020 issued by Directorate General of Systems, ICES on the above mentioned subject. With a view to reduce the need for physical interface, particularly in Exports, Electronic Exchange of Information from the concerned stakeholders have been activated at different stages of the Export clearance process, as below. These measures will also facilitate smoother implementation of the new Sea Cargo Manifest and Transshipment Regulations (SCMTR), 2018.

1. Customs Inland Manifest for eSeal Cargo (CIM-ES) 1.1 The earlier ICES advisory 11/2019 dated 10.05.2019 had been issued on implementing this message on a pilot basis. Based on the feedback received and to align it more with the requirements of SCMTR, the message structure has been revised. This message can now also be filed by either the exporter or their Customs Broker. The new revised message structure is available on
   ICEGATE portal (https://icegate.gov.in/Download/ES_MIG_Volume1.1_060620.docx). The utility to generate required JSON file has also been upgraded as per the revised message structure (http://ices.nic.in/ices/cim). Exporter of the eSealed cargo or their Customs Broker can use this utility or any other software for submitting this information electronically for export cargo. The gate officer has been given an option in the PREV_OFF role to confirm the details of the cargo and the intactness of the eSeal at the time of its entry in the Customs area. The details of the process flow and the gate officer functionalities in ICES has already been elaborated in the earlier advisory. 1.2 The filing of this message is now available for all the ports. If the exporters wish to file the message themselves, they would have to take the registration as Authorized Exporter for eSeal (AES) as detailed in the earlier advisory. If, however, the messages are filed by the Customs Broker, no separate registration other than the Custom Brokers’s existing ICEGATE registration is required. Since the filing of this message through Customs Brokers has now been enabled, exporters in the jurisdiction of Mumbai customs Zone I authorized for eSealing the cargo in their premises are being advised to file this message regularly through their Customs Broker or themselves. Soon, the filing of this message would be made mandatory for all eSealed cargo across all locations, without which goods registration of the cargo will not be allowed in ICES.

2. Electronic Goods Registration 2.1 Web based goods registration through ICEGATE is already available in Imports. In case of exports, submission of Annexure C in paper continued for goods registration. Now, the filing of the same electronically has been enabled in the System. The message structure of the goods registration message (CACHE05) has also been revised in the EDI Shipping Bill message format (https://www.icegate.gov.in/Download/ICES_1.5_CHA_Customs_Exports_Mesg_Format_Ver_2. 6(16july2020).pdf). The exporters or their Customs Brokers can now file this message electronically through ICEGATE the same way as a Shipping Bill is filed. The details as provided in the message will auto populate on the screen of the Customs officer for allowing goods

registration. This will obviate the need for any paper copy submission of Annexure C.

3. Online Stuffing Message from Custodians 3.1 Currently, Stuffing Report is entered by preventive officer in ICES manually for every Shipping Bill. Now, the facility of electronically filing container-wise Stuffing Report directly by Custodian has been enabled. This is also a requirement in the workflow under the SCMTR. The pre-requisites are that the Custodian should have been registered as Authorized Custodians/Authorized Terminal Operator (ACU/ATO) under the SCMTR and have onboarded the ICEGATE MFTP for message exchange. Further, the custodian- warehouse mapping should have been completed by the System Manager in the CUSADM role. The Cargo Identification No (PCIN) required for filing the stuffing message is now included in the LEO message sent by ICEGATE to Custodians. 3.2 The message structure for Stuffing (SF) has already been published on ICEGATE (https://icegate.gov.in/Download/MIG_CIM-Custodian_v1.3.docx). The excel based utility to generate the required JSON file has also been made available for Custodians and they should develop it in their own IT System (http://ices.nic.in/ices/json). The option to approve the container wise SF report has also been added in the PREV_OFF role. In the initial days, both the options – Container wise stuffing approval and the old Shipping Bill wise Stuffing Report option will co- exist. Accordingly,- (i) Wherever the container-wise SF has been electronically filed by the Custodian, the stuffing details will be auto-populated and the officer will have to first approve the container wise stuffing using the new option and then approve SB-wise stuffing using the old option. When Allowed for shipment request (ASR) message under SCMTR is developed and filed by Custodian, SB wise stuffing by customs officer will be discontinued. (ii) Wherever the container-wise SF has not been electronically filed by the Custodian, the officer can, for the time being, continue feeding the details directly using old option. Soon, the old option will be discontinued and filing of SF report electronically by Custodian will be made compulsory for all warehouse stuffed export cargo. The SF message can be submitted by the Custodian in the designated MFTP folder and the response (ACK) by Custom will also be placed in the MFTP folder.

3.3 As mentioned above, the provision for filing this message and approving container wise stuffing by the officer has already been enabled in the System. But considering that this is a new message and would become part of the existing Shipping Bill workflow in ICES, facility to test sample messages by Custodians and other functionalities in preprod have also been made available. Following steps may be followed for testing the SF message in preprod:

a. Allocation of role to Data Entry Operator in Service Centre Preprod b. Allocation of necessary export related roles (for assessment, goods registration, examination, LEO, and Stuffing) in ICES preprod to one or two nominated officers. The template to map the officers to ICES preprod, where not available, may be sent to Saksham.seva@icegate.gov.in and nsm.ices@icegate.gov.in c. Filing of test SBs in preprod and processing them till LEO d. Based on the LEO message automatically received by the Custodian in the TEST MFTP folder, Custodian can file container wise SF Report. First, test messages may be filed for FCL Cargo and then then for LCL cargo. e. Approval by the officer in PREV_OFF role (in preprod) using the new container wise approval option. f. Approval by the officer in the old SB wise stuffing report option. g. Movement of the SB to the EGM queue.

(It may be ensured that printout, if taken for any test Shipping Bill in preprod, be cancelled and defaced to avoid any unscrupulous use) 4. Action to be taken in terms of decisions conveyed in this Public Notice should be considered as Standing Order for the purpose of officers. 5. Issues faced during testing can be compiled and sent to team.ices@icegate.gov.in. The testing should be completed on or before 15th Aug 2020. Once the testing is completed by the Custodian and the nominated Customs officers, the Custodians can start filing the message for actual Shipping Bills in production.

6. As can be seen, filing of above messages and their seamless assimilation in the existing workflow will require close coordination of the field formations with the concerned customs brokers and custodians. Implementation of the above steps will also the critical for the overall implementation of the SCMTR.

               Sd/- 
   

(MANISH MANI TIWARI)
Commissioner of Custom (Export),
New Custom House, Mumbai, Zone-I

Copy to:

1. The Principal Chief Commissioner of Customs, Mumbai Zone-1.
2. The Commissioner of Customs, General and Preventive, NCH, Mumbai Zone-I
3. The Commissioner of Customs, Audit, Import I, Import II, NCH, Mumbai Zone-I
4. All Additional Commissioner of Customs, NCH, Mumbai Zone-I
5. All Deputy/Assistant Commissioner of Customs, NCH, Mumbai Zone-I
6. All Section/Groups, NCH, Mumbai Zone-I
7. All Trade Members, All Custom Brokers and Exporters.
8. The Custodian, MBPT.
9. AC/DC, EDI for uploading on NCH website immediately.
10. Office Copy