28 May 2003
Sweden Implements U.S. Customs Container Security Initiative
(U.S. and Swedish customs agents screening U.S.-bound cargo in Göteborg) (1070) Sweden has started the operational phase of the Container Security Initiative (CSI) at the port of Göteborg for cargo containers destined for U.S. ports, the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced May 21. The port of Göteborg is the 12th CSI port worldwide to become operational. Under the CSI, U.S. and Swedish Customs officials working together in Goteborg screen any cargo containers identified as a potential terrorist risk. "CSI is the only formal program in operation today that is designed to detect and deter terrorists from exploiting the vulnerabilities of containerized cargo," said CBP Commissioner Robert 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." CSI is designed to prevent the smuggling of terrorists or terrorist weapons in ocean-going cargo containers. Each year, more than 6 million containers arrive in the United States by ship. CSI-participating countries have the opportunity to station customs personnel in U.S. ports. Thus far, Japan and Canada have stationed customs personnel in the United States to screen container cargo headed for their countries. Following is a CBP press release: (begin text) U.S. Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection Washington, D.C. www.cpb.gov SWEDEN AND THE UNITED STATES JOINTLY IMPLEMENT THE CONTAINER SECURITY INITIATIVE AND BEGIN TO TARGET AND PRE-SCREEN CARGO DESTINED FOR U.S. (Wednesday, May 21, 2003) Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Robert C. Bonner today announced that the Container Security Initiative (CSI) will be operational at the port of Goteborg for cargo containers destined for U.S. ports. CBP and the Swedish Customs Service signed a declaration of principles on January 28, 2003. As part of the CSI program, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has deployed a team of CBP officers to the port of Göteborg to work on targeting high-risk cargo containers destined for the United States. Swedish Customs officials, working with CBP officers, are responsible for screening any containers identified as a potential terrorist risk. The port of Göteborg is the 12th CSI port to become operational. It joins the already operational CSI ports of Rotterdam, LeHavre, Bremerhaven, Hamburg, Antwerp, Singapore, Yokohama, Hong Kong, Vancouver, Montreal, and Halifax. "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 Swedens 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." Commissioner Bonner added: "CSI is the only formal program in operation today that is designed to detect and deter terrorists from exploiting the vulnerabilities of containerized cargo. 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." CSI is a reciprocal program. 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. 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. Japan is now the second CSI partner country to station customs personnel in U.S. ports as part of the CSI program. Japanese customs personnel are stationed at the port of Los Angeles/Long Beach. Canadian Customs personnel are also currently stationed at Newark and Seattle. 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, 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. Each year, over 48 million full cargo containers move between the world's major seaports and 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. Contacts For This Press Release: 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Room 3.4A Washington, DC. 20229 Media Services Phone: (202) 927-8727 Fax: (202) 927-1393 Customs Headquarters Office of Public Affairs 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Room 3.4A Washington, D.C. 20229 Phone: (202) 927-8727 Fax: (202) 927-1393 (end text) (Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
