ABF - Review of recent trends in the ICS

In preparation for the incoming peak period, the ABF has reviewed recent trends in industry cargo reporting and message processing efficiency in the Integrated Cargo System (ICS), via the Customs Connect Facility (CCF).

The review noted several instances where some industry partners were sending cargo reports well above recommended message processing thresholds. This creates congestion and adversely impacts report processing times for everyone.

ABF request all industry partners be mindful in balancing their cargo report submissions and plan a staggered send ("Pacing") for bulk reports – adhering to the CCF & ICS Best Practice Guide:  EDI Messaging - A Guide for Industry users of the CCF and ICS (abf.gov.au)

For example, if needing to transmit 9,000 messages during the middle of the day, this transmission should be broken down into 30 batches of 300 messages in each, with one batch transmitted every 60 seconds. In practice this would spread the transmission of the required 9,000 messages over 30 minutes, with a maximum of 18,000 messages transmitted per hour.

Please contact ICS Business Support (icsbus@abf.gov.au) if you require further information assistance on the matter.

Regards,

Cargo Support
Australian Border Force
Email: cargosupport@abf.gov.au