A Centralized Examination Station is a CBP-approved facility where U.S. Customs examines selected import shipments. Mercer is a CES operator for the Seattle and Tacoma ports, with on-site CBP officers, VACIS pallet X-ray and an Agriculture Lab — so a customs hold is worked on-site, not bounced to another facility’s queue.
When U.S. Customs and Border Protection selects an import shipment for examination, where that exam happens shapes your timeline. As a Centralized Examination Station operator for the Seattle and Tacoma ports, Mercer handles the inspection on-site — your cargo doesn’t get bounced to a separate facility and left waiting in someone else’s queue.
On-site CBP officers, VACIS pallet X-ray, an on-site Agriculture Lab, and a large inside exam area let us work a range of cargo, including FDA- and USDA-regulated goods. And because the CES sits inside the same operation as our warehouse, CFS and regional trucking, cleared cargo moves straight onward without changing hands.
A CES is a CBP-approved facility where U.S. Customs physically examines selected import shipments. Mercer is a CES operator for the Seattle and Tacoma ports.
Yes. Our facilities are FDA- and USDA-certified, with an on-site Agriculture Lab, so regulated cargo is inspected on-site rather than routed elsewhere.
Tell us what you’re moving and our Fife dispatch team will route your request — usually within one business day.
