OTTAWA — Canada is adopting the same 24-hour advance notification rule for marine cargo imports that the United States has in place.

Ocean carriers and freight forwarders will be required to submit manifest and customer data electronically to Canada Customs 24 hours before loading at a foreign port, Elinor Caplan, federal minister responsible for Canada Customs and Review Agency (CCRA), said in a statement Friday.

"The 24-hour rule will be implemented by April, 2004, allowing the CCRA, the carrier/freight forwarder and the importer/broker communities time to prepare their business operations and systems for implementation," Caplan said.

Caplan said the rule "provides a consistent reporting requirement for North American marine shipments," but did not say anything about the year-long delay in reaching that consistent requirement. She said the rule "supports the Canada-U.S. Smart Border Declaration."

Consultations will continue with the private sector to establishing electronic advance reporting time frames for land and air cargo imports, Caplan said.

BY Courtney Tower