Homeland Security

Text: Japan Implements Container Security Initiative at Yokohama

(U.S. Customs and Border Protection news release) (800)
The Container Security Initiative, a program to prevent cargo
container shipments from exploitation by terrorists, will become
operational at the Japanese port of Yokohama March 24, according to a
statement released by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
March 20.
Following is the text of the release:
(begin text)
Japan Implements the Container Security Initiative
and Begins to Target and Pre-Screen Cargo Destined for U.S.
(Thursday, March 20, 2003)
WASHINGTON, D.C.--U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
Commissioner Robert C. Bonner and Japanese Customs and Tariff Bureau
announced today that the Container Security Initiative (CSI) is
expected to be operational at the port of Yokohama for cargo
containers destined for U.S. ports on March 24.
CBP and the Japanese Customs and Tariff Bureau sealed a CSI
declaration of principles on September 26, 2002.
The port of Yokohama is the 10th CSI port to become operational. It
joins the already operational CSI ports of Rotterdam, LeHavre,
Bremerhaven, Hamburg, and Antwerp in Europe, Singapore in Asia, and
Vancouver, Montreal, and Halifax in Canada.
"CSI is essential to securing global trade against terrorist
exploitation. The CSI security blanket is now expanding and
strengthening as it encompasses the port of Yokohama," said
Commissioner Bonner. "We are getting CSI implemented in all of the
ports that have signed on. We will continue to deploy teams to other
participating ports as quickly as possible." As part of the CSI
program, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has deployed a small team
of 4 CBP officers stationed at the port of Yokohama to work targeting
cargo containers destined for the United States. Japanese Customs
officials, working with CBP officers, will be responsible for
screening any containers identified as a potential terrorist risk.
"CSI is also reciprocal. CBP offers CSI-participating countries the
opportunity to send their customs officers to our major ports to
target cargo that is exported to their country via ocean containers,"
Commissioner Bonner said. "CBP will also share its intelligence and
pre-arrival information on a bilateral basis with its CSI partners.
Sharing of information is intended to be a reciprocal process."
Japanese customs personnel will be stationed at the port of Los
Angeles/Long Beach on April 7, 2003, targeting sea containers destined
for Japan. The CSI ports of Tokyo, Nagoya, and Kobe will also become
operational over the next few months.
The ports of Tokyo, Nagoya, Kobe and Yokohama are among the top 20
ports of the world. Nearly eight percent of all sea containers
arriving in the U.S. are shipped from these four Japanese ports.
CSI is an initiative that was developed by U.S. Customs, now U.S.
Customs and Border Protection, in the aftermath of the terrorist
attacks of September 11th. Now within the Department of Homeland
Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is continuing to
implement CSI at major ports around the world. Under the CSI program,
a small number of CBP officers are deployed to work with host nation
counterparts to target high-risk cargo containers. Its purpose is to
protect containerized shipping from exploitation by terrorists.
Containerized shipping is a critical component of global trade because
most of the international trade moves or is transported in cargo
containers.
To date, 18 of the top 20 ports have agreed to join CSI and are at
various stages of implementation. These ports are points of passage
for approximately two-thirds of cargo containers shipped to the United
States. They include (by container cargo volume): Hong Kong, Shanghai,
Singapore, Rotterdam, Pusan, Bremerhaven, Tokyo, Genoa, Yantian,
Antwerp, Nagoya, Le Havre, Hamburg, La Spezia, Felixstowe, Algeciras,
Kobe, and Yokohama.
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-evident containers. 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.
"Now that we have nearly achieved our goal for CSI at most of the top
20 ports, we will be expanding CSI to other 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,"
Commissioner Bonner said.
Most recently, the governments of Malaysia and Sweden have joined CSI.
In Europe, CBP is looking to expand CSI to at least 11 additional
ports. The CSI initiative supports the "Cooperative G8 Action on
Transport Security" adopted by G8 in June 2002.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)