[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 167 (Wednesday, August 30, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59932-59933]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-18735]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

[1651-0019]


Vessel Entrance Clearance System (VECS)

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

ACTION: 60-day notice and request for comments; extension of an 
existing collection of information.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection (CBP) 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 
October 30, 2023) 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: 
[email protected].

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 
[email protected]. 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

[[Page 59933]]

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 and Clearance System (VECS).
    OMB Number: 1651-0019.
    Form Number: CBP Form 1300.
    Current Actions: Extension.
    Type of Review: Extension.
    Affected Public: Individuals.
    Abstract: CBP Form 1300, Vessel Entrance or Clearance Statement, is 
used to collect essential commercial vessel data at time of formal 
entrance and clearance in U.S. ports, allows the master to attest to 
the truthfulness of all CBP forms associated with the manifest package, 
and collects relevant information about the vessel and cargo. The form 
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 5 
U.S.C. 301, and 19 U.S.C. 66, 1415, 1624, 2071, 1431, 1433, and 1434, 
as well as 46 U.S.C. 501, 60105 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 submitted in paper format and is anticipated 
to be submitted electronically 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.
    Respondents are enabled to create a new ACE Account type for Vessel 
Agencies through the ACE Portal. The new account type within ACE will 
operate as a portal that leads to the Vessel Entrance and Clearance 
System (VECS), which will run as its own independent 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 are able to use the new 
Vessel Entrance and Clearance System (VECS) as part of the ongoing 
pilot program to test the functionality of VECS, and will be able to 
file vessel entrance, clearance, and related data to CBP 
electronically.
    CBP is currently running a small public VECS Pilot on several 
ports. 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 
began at one of eleven ports where VECS was previously internally 
tested. CBP is providing 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 continue to expand to additional ports, 
in an effort to progressively test and implement the system nationwide. 
There will be no change to the paper format of CBP Form 1300, and CBP 
Form 1300 in paper format will continue to be accepted.

New Submission

    The VECS Pilot will be live for 51 port codes as of August 2023 
enabling fully electronic processing of vessel entrance and clearance. 
The public pilot has allowed CBP to identify areas for additional 
enhancement and automation, fix minor errors with the system's 
operation, and simultaneously deploy to new locations while continuing 
to test fixes and new capabilities. VECS pilot will continue to expand 
to other port codes while implementing training for port staff.
    Type of Information Collection: 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.

    Dated: August 25, 2023.
Seth D. Renkema,
Branch Chief, Economic Impact Analysis Branch, U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection.
[FR Doc. 2023-18735 Filed 8-29-23; 8:45 am]
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