2023-20863. Accreditation and Approval of V-TIC Services, Inc. (Houston, TX) as a Commercial Gauger and Laboratory

AGENCY:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security.

ACTION:

Notice of accreditation and approval of V–TIC Services, Inc. (Houston, TX) as a commercial gauger and laboratory.

SUMMARY:

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to CBP regulations, that V–TIC Services, Inc. (Houston, TX) has been approved to gauge petroleum and certain petroleum products and accredited to test petroleum and certain petroleum products for customs purposes for the next four years as of December 15, 2021.

DATES:

V–TIC Services, Inc. (Houston, TX) was approved and accredited as a commercial gauger and laboratory as of December 15, 2021. The next inspection date will be scheduled for December 2025.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Dr. Eugene Bondoc, Laboratories and Scientific Services Directorate, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 1501–A North, Washington, DC 20229, tel. [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Notice is hereby given pursuant to 19 CFR 151.12 and 19 CFR 151.13, that V–TIC Services, Inc., 12140 Almeda Rd., Houston, TX 77045, has been approved to gauge petroleum and certain petroleum products and accredited to test petroleum and certain petroleum products for customs purposes, in accordance with the provisions of 19 CFR 151.12 and 19 CFR 151.13 as of December 15, 2021.^[1]

V–TIC Services, Inc. (Houston, TX) is approved for the following gauging procedures for petroleum and certain petroleum products from the American Petroleum Institute (API):

API chapters	Title
3	Tank Gauging.
7	Temperature Determination.
8	Sampling.
11	Physical Properties Data.
12	Calculations.
17	Maritime Measurement.

V–TIC Services, Inc. (Houston, TX) is accredited for the following laboratory analysis procedures and methods for petroleum and certain petroleum products set forth by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Laboratory Methods (CBPL) and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM):

CBPL No.	ASTM	Title
27–03	D4006	Standard Test Method for Water in Crude Oil by Distillation.
27–04	D95	Standard Test Method for Water in Petroleum Products and Bituminous Materials by Distillation.
27–05	D4928	Standard Test Method for Water in Crude Oils by Coulometric Karl Fischer Titration.
27–06	D473	Standard Test Method for Sediment in Crude Oils and Fuel Oils by the Extraction Method.
27–08	D86	Standard Test Method for Distillation of Petroleum Products.
27–11	D445	Standard Test Method for Kinematic Viscosity of Transparent and Opaque Liquids (and Calculation of Dynamic Viscosity).
27–13	D4294	Standard Test Method for Sulfur in Petroleum and Petroleum Products by Energy-Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry.
27–46	D5002	Standard Test Method for Density, Relative Density, and API Gravity of Crude Oils by Digital Density Analyzer.
27–48	D4052	Standard Test Method for Density and Relative Density of Liquids by Digital Density Meter.
27–50	D93	Standard Test Methods for Flash Point by Pensky-Martens Closed Cup Tester.

Anyone wishing to employ this entity to conduct laboratory analyses and gauger services should request and receive written assurances from the entity that it is accredited or approved by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to conduct the specific test or gauger service requested. Alternatively, inquiries regarding the specific test or gauger service this entity is accredited or approved to perform may be directed to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection by calling (202) 344–1060. The inquiry may also be sent to [e-mail]. Please reference the website listed below for a complete listing of CBP approved gaugers and accredited laboratories. http://www.cbp.gov/​about/​labs-scientific/​commercial-gaugers-and-laboratories

James D. Sweet,

Laboratory Director, Houston, Laboratories and Scientific Services Directorate.

Footnotes

1.  As a result of the SARS–CoV–2 (COVID–19) pandemic, Laboratories and Scientific Services implemented a one-time quadrennial timeframe for reoccurring audits originally scheduled to take place in 2020, 2021, and 2022. This postponed the scheduled deadline for audits and the payment of reaccreditation or reapproval fees by one year, after which audits will return to a triennial schedule. See19 U.S.C. 1499; Presidential Proclamation 9994, 85 FR 15337 (March 13, 2020); Executive Order 13924, 85 FR 31353 (May 19, 2020); and U.S. Customs & Border Protection, COVID–19 Laboratory and Gauger Postponement Letter (May 26, 2021), https://www.cbp.gov/​document/​guidance/​covid-19-gauger-postponement-letter.