TSA Officials Discuss 50% and 100% Screening & Certified Cargo Screening Program
Transportation Security Administration officials at a recent Washington Air Cargo Association meeting discussed the mandate of 50% screening1 of cargo on passenger aircraft by February 2009 and 100% screening of such cargo by August 2010.
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Officials also provided an update on the Certified Cargo Screening Program (CCSP), including a third party validator program, and its piloting of an Indirect Air Carrier (IAC) Screening Technology Pilot.
50% Screening Mandate Met, TSA Confident They Can Meet 100% by August 2010
According to TSA officials, the mandate to screen 50% of cargo transported on passenger aircraft by February 2009 is being met. TSA officials noted that there were some minor hiccups; however, they are not experiencing the major issues they were anticipating and feel as if the screening is going smoothly.
TSA officials added that they were confident that they could meet the mandate to screen 100% of cargo transported on passenger aircraft by August 2010. Officials noted that 100% screening could cause significant carrier delays, cargo backlogs, and transit times to increase.
(The Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-53) requires TSA to implement a system to screen 50% of cargo transported on passenger aircraft by February 2009, and 100% of such cargo by August 2010.)
Certified Cargo Screening Program & Certified Cargo Screening Facilities
TSA officials also discussed the CCSP - a voluntary program under which TSA certifies cargo screening facilities (Certified Cargo Screening Facilities (CCSFs)) to screen cargo before it is tendered to aircraft operators for carriage on passenger aircraft.
Officials noted that TSA developed the philosophy behind the CCSP by working closely with U.S. and international agencies and associations to incorporate key aspects of commensurate security programs (such as CBP's Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program and the UK's Known Consignor Program). CBP officials added that they are working with CBP to align C-TPAT with CCSP.
CCSP was developed to:
Allow screening of cargo early in the air cargo supply chain by a trusted, vetted, and audited facility.
Establish the integrity of a shipment through enhanced physical and personnel security standards at CCSFs
Maintain the integrity of a shipment throughout the supply chain by utilizing stringent chain of custody methods.
Participation in CCSP is voluntary, but once in, CCSFs must:
Adhere to increased TSA-directed security standards.
Employ chain of custody.
Permit onsite validations.
Be subject to TSI-C inspections.
Over 160 CCSFs to date. TSA officials noted that as of February 4, 2009, there were over 160 approved CCSFs with over 500 applications in queue. Officials stated that they are approving approximately 10-20 CCSF applications a day. They estimated that there will be over 8,000 CCSFs by August 2010.
Officials stated that to meet the demand for CCSF approval, they are looking to use a third party validator program. (Third party validators are regulated parties who when certified by TSA may conduct assessments of CCSFs as prescribed in their regulatory TSA Order.)
IAC Screening Technology Pilot (Part of CCSP)
As part of the CCSP, TSA is conducting an Indirect Air Carrier (IAC) Screening Technology Pilot.
TSA's objectives for the pilot are:
To assist industry in achieving the screening requirements of the 9/11 Act by creating screening capacity at the IACs.
To measure the effectiveness of select screening technologies on various commodity classes.
To evaluate chain-of-custody procedures for screened cargo as it moves from the IAC to the air carrier.
IACs participating in the pilot must:
Have a facility located in one of the 18 major gateways (see presentation for gateways).
Have a minimum annual volume of 200 consolidations (ULDs) tendered to passenger aircraft.
Sign an Other Transactional Agreement (OTA) to receive funding from TSA.
Provide detailed reporting on cargo volumes screened and screening technology data.
1Screening means a physical examination or non-intrusive methods of assessing whether cargo poses a threat to transportation security. Methods of screening include x-ray systems, explosives detection systems, etc.
(See ITT's Online Archives or 08/05/08 news, 08080510, for BP summary of TSA testifying of CCSP, etc.
See ITT's Online Archives or 05/05/08 news, 08050506, for BP summary of an update on TSA's limited rollout of CCSP.
See ITT's Online Archives or 07/18/08 news, 08071805, for BP summary of GAO discussing TSA's progressing in implementing 100% screening of cargo on passenger aircraft. See ITT's Online Archives or 09/04/08 news, 08090410, for BP summary of GAO's review of TSA's screening exemptions report for air cargo on passenger aircraft.
See ITT's Online Archives or 08/07/08 news, 07080705, for BP summary of the President signing the 9/11 Bill into law.)
TSA presentation from the WACA meeting available via email by sending a request to documents@brokerpower.com