Container Security Initiative (CSI)
 
What is it?
The U.S. Customs launched the Container Security Initiative (CSI) in January 2002 to reduce the risk of global containerized cargos being exploited by terrorists. Some 200 million cargo containers move annually among the world’s top seaports, and nearly 50 percent of the value of all U.S. imports arrives via cargo containers.
 
What is the main goal of CSI?
A core element of CSI involves placing U.S. Custom’s inspectors at major foreign seaports to pre-screen cargo containers before they are shipped to the U.S. U.S. Customs officials, working with their foreign counterparts, will be in a position to detect potential Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) in U.S. bound containers at foreign ports before these containers are loaded on a ship. U.S. Customs is initially focusing these efforts on twenty major foreign ports that account for nearly 70 percent of all U.S. bound cargo containers.
 
How many ports are participating?
The initial goal was to implement CSI at the top twenty ports in terms of volume of cargo containers shipped to the U.S. Eleven of those ports have already agreed to participate. Thereafter, CSI will be expanded to other strategic ports that ship significant volumes of cargo containers to U.S. Ports. On June 28, 2002, the World Customs Organization (WCO) unanimously passed a resolution that will enable ports in all 161 of the member nations to begin to develop programs using CSI principles. This includes electronic collection of data on container shipments, use of risk management tools to identify and target high risk shipments, use of radiation detection and large-scale technology to identify containers that pose a security threat.
 
How does it work?
CSI uses the following methods and procedures to accomplish its goals:
  • Use of automated information to identify/target high risk containers
  • Prescreening of high risk containers before arrival in U.S. ports
  • Use of new technology to prescreen high risk containers
  • Use of “Smarter” tamper proof containers
What ports have joined to date?
As of December 2002, the following ports have joined the CSI program:
  • Canada: Halifax, Montreal, Vancouver
  • Port of Singapore
  • Netherlands: Port of Rotterdam
  • Belgium: Port of Antwerp
  • France: Port of Le Havre
  • Germany: Ports of Bremerhaven and Hamburg
  • China: Port of Hong Kong
  • Japan: Ports of Yokohama, Tokyo, Kobe and Nagoya
  • UK: Liverpool, Felixstowe, Southampton, Tilbury and Thamesport
  • Italy: La Spezia and Genoa

Additional Ports with priority targeting for CSI are: Laem Chabang, Algeciras, Yantian, Genoa, Pusan, Kaohsiung

What other Organizations support CSI?
International Organizations that support CSI include: World Customs Organization (WCO); Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC); Business Anti-Smuggling Coalition (BASC); and, the European Commission (EC)

In addition to CSI, the international trade community has developed several other initiatives that address the issue of maritime security. These include:
  • G-8 - “Statement on cooperative action on transport security”
  • World Customs Organization (WCO) - “ June 2002 Resolution on supply chain security and trade facilitation” and MOU with IMO. WCO is re-examining its Data Model to develop guidelines for electronic data transmission, and guidelines for business/customs cooperative arrangements similar to the C-TPAT program, but in association with APEC, BASC, CSI, EC, etc.
  • Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) - Includes nations on both sides of the Pacific. APEC signed the UN security resolutions and conventions for the suppressing of international terrorism and committed to the Shanghai Counter-Terror Statement. The goal is to enhance secure trade in the APEC region by protecting cargos, ships, aviation and people, stopping financing of terrorists, promoting cyber security, and building security capacity, all by cooperating to enforce international standards (WCO, IMO, and C-TPAT).
  • Business Anti-Smuggling Coalition (BASC) - Established in 1995, works with business and industry to eliminate the use of legitimate cargo to smuggle illegal drugs, and examines supply chain to prevent commercial processes from being used by smugglers. ICC, WCO and US Customs back this, but it is voluntary, with self-imposed standards.
  • Technology Asset Protection Association (TAPA) - Includes fifty major freight handlers that have drawn up security standards and have been audited to meet these standards. TAPA is now working on anti-terrorism standards, in addition to theft and insurance issues.
In addition, virtually all major trading nations are reviewing container conventions, identification systems, sealing systems, and databases on technology.