29 January 2003
U.S. Expands Container Security Initiative to Sweden
(Customs Service broadens CSI program beyond world's top ports) (780)
The U.S. Customs Service has announced it has expanded to Sweden its
container security initiative (CSI) aimed at preventing terrorists
from using cargo containers to smuggle weapons of mass destruction
into the United States.
In a January 28 news release, Customs said that under the terms of a
declaration it signed with its Swedish counterpart, its agents will be
stationed at the port of Göteborg (Gothenburg) to target and prescreen
high-risk containers before they leave for U.S. destinations.
Initially, Customs obtained agreements to place its agents in the 20
world seaports handling largest volumes of container cargo heading for
the United States. With the Swedish port as part of the CSI network,
Customs has started expanding the program to all ports that ship
substantial amounts of U.S.-bound cargo.
Sweden joined Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy,
Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Singapore, Spain and
the United Kingdom, which agreed to participate in CSI earlier.
Following is the text of the news release:
(begin text)
Container Security Initiative Expands Beyond the Megaports,
Strengthening Anti-Terror Coalition
Göteborg is first European expansion port
(Tuesday, January 28, 2003)
WASHINGTON, D.C.- U.S. Customs Commissioner Robert C. Bonner and Kjell
Jansson, Director General of the Swedish Customs Service, today
announced that the government of Sweden has agreed to participate in
the U.S. Customs Container Security Initiative (CSI).
CSI is a U.S. Customs initiative designed to prevent the smuggling of
terrorist weapons in ocean-going cargo containers. Under terms of the
declaration announced today, U.S. Customs officers will be stationed
at the port of Göteborg (Gothenburg), the first European port outside
the top 20 mega ports to join CSI.
"I am very pleased that the government of Sweden has agreed to join
with the United States in the Container Security Initiative," said
Commissioner Bonner. "We recognize the high volume of trade between
the Port of Göteborg and seaports in the U.S. and Sweden's role as an
intermodal transport hub for cargo originating in many countries. This
is an important step, not only for the protection of trade between the
U.S. and Sweden, but for the protection of the most critical component
of the world trading system as a whole -- containerized cargo."
Globally, over 48 million full cargo containers move between major
seaports each year. Each year, more than 6 million containers arrive
in the United States by ship.
"It is splendid that we are participating in the CSI program. This is
proof of international confidence in our risk assessment and our work
with quality assurance within the Stairway. The Swedish Customs
Service is now looking forward to enhancing our long-standing and good
relations to the United Sates Customs Service," said Kjell Jansson,
Director General of the Swedish Customs Service.
The CSI initiative supports the "Cooperative G8 [Group of Eight most
industrialized countries that includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy,
Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States] Action on
Transport Security" adopted by G8 in June 2002. Launched by U.S.
Customs in January 2002, CSI consists of four core elements: (1) using
intelligence and automated information to identify and target
high-risk containers; (2) pre-screening those containers identified as
high-risk, at the port of departure, before they arrive at U.S. ports;
(3) using detection technology to quickly pre-screen high-risk
containers; and (4) using smarter, tamper proof containers.
The initial objective is to implement CSI at the ports that send large
volumes of cargo containers to the United States, in a way that will
facilitate detection of potential security concerns at ports of origin
or transshipment.
One element of CSI involves placing U.S. Customs officers at foreign
seaports to target and pre-screen U.S.-bound cargo containers before
they are shipped to America.
"We are in the process of getting CSI implemented in those ports that
have signed on. We have deployed and will continue to deploy teams to
the participating ports as quickly as possible," Commissioner Bonner
said.
"Today, we have begun the expansion of CSI beyond the top 20 megaports
by entering into a CSI agreement that will make the port of Göteborg a
CSI port. This is the first expansion of CSI beyond the top 20 ports
in Europe. Now that we have implemented CSI at most of the top 20
ports, we are quickly expanding CSI to all ports that ship substantial
amounts of cargo to the United States, and that have the
infrastructure and technology in place to participate in the program."
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
|
|
|
