With AQUA, qualified carriers can file for expedited customs approval a day in advance of arrival, and CBP will pre-clear the ship beforehand. This means that a vessel can start unloading as soon as it ties up, and doesn't have to wait for a customs officer to come aboard and give clearance – shaving off turn times in port and reducing cost in dockage fees. For CBP, it offers a chance to focus its enforcement resources.

AQUA will now be available in 10 U.S ports: Miami, Savannah, Seattle, Newark, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Port Everglades, Baltimore, Oakland and New Orleans. These include the top five busiest ports in the United States, and all of the major container ports on the West Coast.

In mid-December, Charleston, Houston, Jacksonville, Honolulu, Norfolk, Philadelphia, Wilmington (DE), Wilmington (NC), Boston, Philadelphia and San Juan will be added to the list.

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