The newly upgraded Denied Party Screener tool helps customers comply with government trade regulations by identifying restricted trading partners before goods are shipped. Without such a tool, customers run the risk of packages being seized by customs.

TradeAbility’s Denied Party Screener tool relies on more than 25 US government lists, and 10 non-US lists, for its source information. That automates the process for shippers and eliminates the need to consult each list individually. The international sources include lists published by the United Nations, Interpol and the governments of Canada and Japan.

UPS monitors these lists daily, providing the most up-to-date results. These enhancements bring UPS’s list entries up to more than 20,000.

“TradeAbility takes the guesswork out of cross-border shipping by giving our customers easy access to ever-changing global trade regulations,” said Jordan Colletta, vice president of customer technology marketing for UPS. “By demystifying the regulatory aspect of global trade, TradeAbility helps companies of all sizes expand into new markets and grow their businesses.”

TradeAbility tools are available on UPS.com or can be integrated into a customer’s business applications or Web site using Web Services. TradeAbility requires no up-front outlay of funds or subscription fees. Services are offered free of charge or for a small transaction fee of less than US$2.