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The Bureau of Customs reminded port officers and concerned staff to strictly observe the guidelines that aim to expedite the implementation of the Electronic Tracking of Containerized Cargo System for refrigerated shipments
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BOC Assessment and Operations Coordinating Group deputy commissioner Agaton Teodoro Uvero ordered the strict observation of AOCG Memo No. 181-2020, which provides supplemental guidelines in the implementation of E-TRACC System for reefer imports
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Uvero noted in particular the procedures on disarming of the electronic customs seal, physical examination of reefer shipments, and collection of the ECS device under AOCG Memo No. 181-2020.
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AOCG Memo No. 181-2020 authorized security guards on duty at cold storages to disarm the electronic customs seal
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No ECS should be taken into custody of the customs brokers, its representatives, or trucker’s personnel at any time
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) reminded port officers and concerned personnel to strictly observe the guidelines that aim to expedite the implementation of the Electronic Tracking of Containerized Cargo (E-TRACC) System for refrigerated shipments.
BOC Assessment and Operations Coordinating Group (AOCG) deputy commissioner Agaton Teodoro Uvero, in AOCG Memo No. 04-2026, ordered the strict observation of AOCG Memo No. 181-2020 to “streamline the operational efficiency” of the E-TRACC System at cold storage warehouses/facilities.
AOCG Memo No. 181-2020 provides supplemental guidelines in the implementation of E-TRACC System for reefer imports. It supplements Customs Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 04-2020, which establishes and implements the E-TRACC System.
Uvero noted in particular the procedures on disarming of the electronic customs seal (ECS), physical examination of reefer shipments, and collection of the ECS device under AOCG Memo No. 181-2020.
READ: Cold storage facility guards authorized to disarm customs e-seal
To prevent delays in the disarming and/or unsealing of reefer vans, AOCG Memo No. 181-2020 has authorized security guards on duty at cold storages to disarm the ECS.
Nothing in AOCG Memo 181-2020, however, should be “construed as a delegation of the Bureau’s authority and control over imported goods entered through ports of entry nationwide,” the agency said.
The ECS is a GPS (global positioning system)-enabled sealing device or lock that physically secures a cargo and provides real-time information on its location.
The arming and disarming of ECS attached to import and export containers are part of the E-TRACC System, which allows the agency to track, monitor, and audit the location and condition of cargoes, as well as obtain real-time alarms on, among others, diversion and tampering of cargoes.
Under CMO No. 04-2020, authorized BOC personnel should be the ones to disarm/remove the ECS from the container.
Under AOCG Memo No. 181-2020, the assigned security guards should take visual evidence showing the container with the container number and with the ECS from either the shipping line or terminal operator still intact. They then should transmit the information to the Piers and Inspection Division or equivalent office for the approval to end the trip, or the journey taken by the truck/container from origin to destination.
Prior to giving authorization to end the trip, the PID should get the name of the requesting security guard on duty, the time and date of the request, and a picture of the guard’s identification card or security guard license.
Once authorization is given, the security guard should disarm and manually remove the ECS from the container and hold it for safekeeping until retrieved by the E-TRACC team of the port.
The assigned examiner, prior to conducting the 100% physical examination, should check that the integrity of the container’s shipping or arrastre seal is still intact. Any signs the seal is broken or has been tampered with must immediately be reported. The 100% examination shall be immediately conducted by the assigned customs examiner, witnessed by representatives from concerned BOC offices and regulating agencies from the Department of Agriculture.
In addition to the guidelines under AOCG Memo No. 181-2026, Uvero noted that the disarming and removal of the ECS should be made while keeping the shipping line’s container seal intact.
Moreover, no ECS should be taken into custody of the customs brokers, its representatives, or trucker’s personnel at any time. Only authorized security guards on duty at the cold storage warehouses/facilities are permitted to turnover the ECS device to the E-TRACC retrieval team.
Under CMO 04-2020, an ECS is required during the transfer of cargo to a container yard/container freight station or other customs facilities and warehouses; transit of cargo bound for Free Zones, inland customs office, depots, or terminals; transit of cargo to customs bonded warehouses (CBW); export of cargo from Free Zones, inland customs office, depots or terminals, and CBWs to port of loading; and transfer of shipments subject to further verification and/or monitoring.
All container vans covered by CMO 04-2020 should be affixed with an ECS before being cleared for departure from the starting point, or point of discharge for the voyage, to the end point, or point of destination.
Except when warranted under CMO 04-2020, full completion of customs cargo clearance is mandatory before any shipment is sealed with an ECS.— Roumina Pablo
