Port of Colombo is the 40th Port to Become Operational in CSI
According to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) press release, the port of Colombo, Sri Lanka is the 40th operational Container Security Initiative (CSI) port.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
CBP states that the U.S. and Sri Lanka signed a declaration of principles for Sri Lanka to participate in CSI on June 25, 2003. (See ITT's Online Archives or 06/30/03 news, 03063015, for BP summary.)
According to the press release, CBP will deploy a small team of officers to be stationed at the port of Colombo to target maritime containers destined for the U.S. Colombo Customs officials, working with CBP officers, will be responsible for screening all containers identified as a potential terrorist risk.
CBP notes that approximately 75% of cargo containers destined to the U.S. originate in or are transshipped from a CSI port. CBP's goal is to have 50 operational CSI ports by the end of 2006, which means that approximately 90% of all transatlantic and transpacific cargo imported into the U.S. will be subjected to pre-screening.
CBP states that CSI will continue to expand to strategic locations around the world and notes 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 09/28/05 news, 05092805, for BP summary of CBP's announcement of the 38th and 39th CSI operational ports of Kaohsiung, Taiwan and Santos, Brazil, respectively.)
(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 (dated 09/29/05) available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/press_releases/09292005_2.xml