According to Commissioner Bonner, one of the most lethal terrorist scenarios imaginable is the use of container traffic as a means to smuggle terrorists and weapons of mass destruction into the United States. "As horrid as the immediate damage would be, consider what would become of our nation's seaports and global trade if a sea container were used to conceal and then detonate a nuclear device," says Bonner. "Simply put, the shipping of sea containers would stop."

U.S. Customs is determined to eliminate any window of opportunity for terrorists to smuggle themselves and/or their weapons into the United States. That's why Customs developed the Container Security Initiative (CSI): to identify and deal with potential threats well before they reach U.S. Seaports, airports, and land crossings.

One CSI objective - to station inspectors at ports that send the highest volumes of container traffic into the United States - is now a reality. "The best way to avoid a worldwide economic collapse as a result of a nuclear attack is to install U.S.-conceived screening practices in other countries," explains Bonner.

Under an anti-terrorism agreement with Canada, effective March 25, U.S. Customs inspectors were posted at three busy Canadian ports of entry: Vancouver, Halifax, and Montreal. In turn, Canadian customs inspectors were stationed in Seattle, Wash., And Newark, N.J.

"This exchange is a landmark step toward what this country and Canada want to achieve in the way of protecting and securing global commerce," says Bonner. "By inspecting cargo containers earlier in the importation process, U.S. Customs can prevent weapons of mass destruction from entering the United States."

Photo Credit: Gerald L. Nino

Thousands of cargo containers awaiting inspection and pickup at the port of Halifax, Nova Scotia.

A day in the life
More than 500,000 containers each year are unloaded at the three Canadian seaports and put on trucks and trains for immediate delivery to the United States. While U.S. inspectors screen sea containers arriving at any of the three Canadian ports destined for the United States, their counterparts - Canadian inspectors - will screen sea containers arriving at any of the two U.S. ports destined for Canada.

At U.S. Ports, inspecting a shipping container from 20 to 40 feet in length can take four Customs inspectors about four hours. They have direct contact with the containers. In contrast, a team of two U.S. Customs inspectors at each Canadian port can play a different, and some say, a more effective role, using detailed analyses to head-off a contaminated sea container.

Working at desks, the U.S. Inspectors review tons of data that give them a comprehensive insight into the kinds of goods bound for the United States. The inspectors screen each bill of lading and use the Automated Targeting System and other Customs databases to determine a container's risk.

"The Canadian inspectors use their own databases," says Supervisory Inspector Tom Coleman, who was stationed at Vancouver port of entry earlier this year. "The U.S. And Canadian systems complement each other. When targeters find an 'interesting' shipment the interaction is intense like a pinball going back and forth."

Targeters screen each shipment looking for specific patterns that might signal an attempt to smuggle anything. Instruments of terrorism, illegal aliens, and narcotics are high-risk/contraband targets. "These are not quick-hit targets," explains Coleman. "There are a multitude of factors to consider."

Inspectors concentrate on joint-targeting, not the physical examination of cargo. When inspectors agree a container is "high-risk," Canadian inspectors do the physical examinations.

"The U.S. Inspectors enjoy targeting, their work in Canada, and the challenge of finding the 'needles.' They're the best we have," says Coleman. "The Canadians are very professional and good at what they do. They have made us feel right at home."

The presence of U.S. Inspectors at Canadian ports, and conversely, of Canadian inspectors at U.S. Ports reflects the persistence and determination of these allies in their fight against terrorism. It is a smart strategy that enhances the security of shipments en route to the United States - a tactic both Customs organizations believe will diminish the public's fear as well as any chance of another terrorist attack.