China's Rule on Advance Manifest (Degree No. 172 of General Administration of Customs) - Update

30 Jun 2009

Dear Valued Customer,

We are writing to update you on China’s rule on advance manifesting (Decree No. 172) which requires:

• Inbound manifest for cargo destined or transshipped at ports in China to be electronically submitted to the Chinese Customs 24 hours prior to loading at foreign ports.

• Pre-manifest for cargo loaded out of ports in China to be electronically submitted to the Chinese Customs 24 hours prior to loading.

• Final manifest for cargo loaded out of ports in china to be submitted 30 minutes before loading.

Further information can be found on the Chinese Customs’ website:
http://english.customs.gov.cn/publish/portal191/tab3972/module21538/info162113.htm

From 1st July to the end of 2009, carriers are required to submit manifests using both old and new formats. Chinese Customs will continue to use the old format for clearance purposes. The data submitted under the new format will be used for testing and reference. Random checks are expected to be conducted to determine data integrity of the manifest data submitted under both formats.

Under the new format, shippers have to submit complete details in their shipping instructions. Shippers need to pay particular attention to the following fields:

1. Shipper, Consignee and Notify Party
   This should comprise of full name, street and number/P.O. box, city name, country and postcode.



2. Cargo description



3. Total number of packages, type of packages, total gross weight and total cubic measurement.



4. Dangerous and hazardous cargo description
   The description has to include the total number of packages, type of packages, total gross weight, total cubic measurement, emergency contact person’s name and telephone number, shipping mark and UNDG number.



5. Container information
   This should include container and seal number, a break down of container details by piece counts, gross weight and cubic measurement

The enforcement of the new format is expected to commence on 1st January 2010. Upon which, cargo that is not in full compliance with Chinese Customs will not be loaded. We are keeping in close contact with the Chinese Customs and will keep you informed of new developments.

Please feel free to contact your local APL Sales or Customer Service representative if you have any questions.

Yours Sincerely,