Port of Lisbon is the 42nd Port to Become Operational in CSI
According to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) press release, the port of Lisbon, Portugal became the 42nd Container Security Initiative (CSI) port to target and pre-screen maritime cargo containers destined for U.S. ports on December 14, 2005.
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 Portugal signed a declaration of principles on July 7, 2005. (See ITT's Online Archives or 07/11/05 news, 05071115, for BP summary.)
According to the press release, CBP will deploy a team of officers to be stationed at the port of Lisbon to work with Portuguese Customs Officials to target maritime containers destined for the U.S. Portugal's Customs officials, working with CBP officers, will be responsible for screening any containers identified as a potential terrorist risk.
CBP notes that its 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 11/21/05 news, 05112105, for BP summary of CBP's announcement of the 41st operational port of Buenos Aires, Argentina.)
(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 12/14/05) available at
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/press_releases/12142005.xml.