Vessel Entrance or Clearance Statement

AGENCY:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Department of Homeland Security.

ACTION:

60-Day Notice and request for comments; revision of an existing collection of information.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection will be submitting the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). The information collection is published in the Federal Register to obtain comments from the public and affected agencies.

DATES:

Comments are encouraged and must be submitted (no later than January 14, 2022) to be assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES:

Written comments and/or suggestions regarding the item(s) contained in this notice must include the OMB Control Number 1651-0019 in the subject line and the agency name. Please use the following method to submit comments:

Email. Submit comments to: CBP_PRA@cbp.dhs.gov.

Due to COVID-19-related restrictions, CBP has temporarily suspended its ability to receive public comments by mail.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for additional PRA information should be directed to Seth Renkema, Chief, Economic Impact Analysis Branch, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Trade, Regulations and Rulings, 90 K Street NE, 10th Floor, Washington, DC 20229-1177, telephone number 202-325-0056, or via email CBP_PRA@cbp.dhs.gov. Please note that the contact information provided here is solely for questions regarding this notice. Individuals seeking information about other CBP programs should contact the CBP National Customer Service Center at 877-227-5511, (TTY) 1-800-877-8339, or CBP website at https://www.cbp.gov/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

CBP invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on the proposed and/or continuing information collections pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. ). This process is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.8. Written comments and suggestions from the public and affected agencies should address one or more of the following four points: (1) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) suggestions to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) suggestions to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses. The comments that are submitted will be summarized and included in the request for approval. All comments will become a matter of public record.

Overview of This Information Collection

Title: Vessel Entrance or Clearance Statement.

OMB Number: 1651-0019.

Form Number: CBP Form 1300.

Current Actions: Revision of an existing collection of information.

Type of Review: Revision.

Affected Public: Businesses.

Abstract: CBP Form 1300, Vessel Entrance or Clearance Statement, was developed through agreement by the United Nations Intergovernmental Maritime Organization (IMO) in conjunction with the United States and various other countries. The form was developed as a single form to replace the numerous other forms used by various countries for the entrance and clearance of vessels. CBP Form 1300 is authorized by 19 U.S.C. 1431, 1433, and 1434, and provided for by 19 CFR 4. This form is accessible at http://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/publications/forms?title=1300&=Apply.

This form is, currently, physically submitted and is anticipated to be electronically submitted as part of CBP's efforts to automate maritime forms through the Vessel Entrance and Clearance System (VECS), which will reduce the need for paper submission of any vessel entrance or clearance requirements under the above referenced statutes and regulations. VECS will still collect and maintain the same data as CBP Form 1300, but will automate the capture of data to reduce or eliminate redundancy with other data collected by CBP.

Proposed Changes

1. New ACE Account Type

CBP is adding a new ACE Account type for Vessel Agencies: Vessel Agency Account. The new account type within ACE will operate as a portal to the Vessel Entrance and Clearance System (VECS), which will run as its own separate system.

Vessel Agents will be required to provide identifying information such as, their name, their employer identification number (EIN), company address, and their phone numbers, which will be requested at the time Vessel Agents apply for the new ACE account type.

After creating an ACE account, Vessel Agencies, Vessel Operating Common Carriers (VOCCs), and their designees maybe able to use the new Vessel Entrance and Clearance System (VECS) as part of a forthcoming pilot program to test the functionality of VECS, and will be able to file vessel entrance, clearance, and related data to CBP electronically.

2. VECS Public Pilot

VECS will automate and digitize the collection and processing of the data and filing requirements for which the CBP Form 1300 is used. CBP plans to run an initial public pilot to test the system. All users who obtained a Vessel Agency Account through the ACE Portal will be automatically enrolled into the VECS public pilot. Initially, the pilot will begin at one of several ports where VECS is being internally tested. CBP will provide training to each CBP port and the Vessel Agency personnel at each port, prior to beginning/expanding the public pilot in another port.

The VECS public pilot will expand to other internal CBP testing ports based on knowledge and familiarity with the system. The VECS public pilot will then, based on pilot results, expand to additional ports, in an effort to progressively test and implement the system nationwide. There will be no change to CBP Form 1300 and CBP Form 1300 will continue to be accepted.

Type of Information Collection: Vessel Entrance or Clearance Statement (CBP Form 1300).

Estimated Number of Respondents: 2,624.

Estimated Number of Annual Responses per Respondent: 72.

Estimated Number of Total Annual Responses: 188,928.

Estimated Time per Response: 30 minutes (0.5 hours).

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 94,464.