Ports of Kaohsiung and Santos Are the 38th and 39th Ports to Become Operational in CSI
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the ports of Kaohsiung, Taiwan and Santos, Brazil are the 38th and 39th operational Container Security Initiative (CSI) ports.
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(Although Kaohsiung, Taiwan become operational in CSI on September 6, 2005, CBP sources have stated by phone that they were delayed in making the announcement due to events surrounding Hurricane Katrina. CBP sources state that they expect to issue a press release on Kaohsiung shortly.) CBP has recently issued a press release announcing that Santos has become CSI operational.
CBP states that the U.S. and Brazil signed a declaration of principles on CSI on May 24, 2005. (See ITT's Online Archives or 06/02/05 news, 05060205, for BP summary.)
According to the press release, CBP will deploy a team of officers to be stationed at the port of Santos to target maritime containers destined for the U.S. Brazilian Customs officials, working with CBP officers, will be responsible for screening any containers identified as a potential terrorist risk. The press release notes that Santos is the largest port in South America and a major export center making it a strategic location for screening cargo destined for the U.S.
According to CBP, with 39 operational CSI ports, approximately 75% of cargo containers headed to the U.S. originate in or are transshipped from CSI ports. By the end of 2006, CBP's goal is to have 50 operational ports covering more than 90% of the sea cargo moving to and from the U.S. through the trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific corridor.
CBP notes that CSI will continue to expand to strategic locations around the world and that the World Customs Organization (WCO), the European Union (EU), and the G8 support CSI expansion and have adopted resolutions implementing CSI security measures introduced at ports throughout the world.
(See ITT's Online Archives or 06/28/05 news, 05062805, for BP summary of CBP's announcement of the 37th CSI operational port (Shenzhen, China).
See ITT's Online Archives or 05/31/05 and 06/20/05 news, 05053115 and 05062010, for BP summaries of a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on CSI and C-TPAT, as well as an expert's testimony on these programs' weaknesses, respectively.)
CBP press release on Santos (dated 09/22/05) available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/press_releases/09222005.xml.