see also: in June 2003:   Second Italian CSI Port Operational, La Spezia to Begin Targeting and Pre-Screening Cargo Destined for U.S.   Italy Implements the Container Security Initiative and Begins to Target and Pre-Screen Cargo Destined for U.S.   CBP Enforces CDC Embargo to Prevent Spread of Monkeypox Virus   CBP, Mexican Customs, Rail Officials Dedicate New Rail Inspection Building   Secretary Ridge Announces Container Security Initiative's Phase II   Kingdom of Thailand Joins Container Security Initiative to Target and Pre-Screen Cargo Destined for U.S. ...more on cbp.gov:   Press Officers   CBP News Releases   CSI: Container Security Initiative   CSI In Brief

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Washington, D.C. -- U. S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Robert C. Bonner announced today that the government of Sri Lanka has joined the Container Security Initiative (CSI). Douglas Browning, Deputy Commissioner, CBP, and S.A.C.S.W (Sarath) Jayathilake, Director General, Sri Lanka Customs today signed a declaration of principles in Brussels, Belgium at the U.S. Mission to the European Union.

Today's agreement marks the first CSI signing since Tom Ridge, Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and CBP Commissioner Bonner announced the launch of Phase 2 of CSI just two weeks ago.

As part of the CSI program, CBP will deploy a team of officers to the port of Colombo to work with host government personnel to target high-risk cargo containers destined for the United States. Officials of the Sri Lanka government are responsible for screening any container identified jointly with CBP officers as a potential terrorist risk.

"This is an important step, it is not just historically important, it is also economically important," Deputy Commissioner Browning said, "It is important that we stand shoulder to shoulder against a new and unusual common enemy to protect not only our citizens, but also our economic strength and well being as well."

There are now 15 CSI operational ports. They include the CSI ports of Rotterdam, LeHavre, Bremerhaven, Hamburg, Antwerp, Singapore, Yokohama, Hong Kong, Göteborg, Felixstowe, Genoa, La Spezia, Vancouver, Montreal, and Halifax.

Containerized shipping is a critical component of global trade because most of the international trade moves or is transported in cargo containers. About 90 percent of all world cargo moves by container. In the United States, almost half of incoming trade (by value) arrives by containers on board container ships. Almost 7 million cargo containers arrive and are offloaded at U.S. seaports each year.

"I applaud the government of Sri Lanka for their strong support in helping to make a safer, more secure world trading system. CSI is essential in securing an indispensable, but vulnerable link in the chain of global trade: containerized shipping," Deputy Commissioner Browning said.

CSI is an initiative that was developed by U.S. Customs, now U.S. Customs and Border Protection, in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11th. Now within the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection is continuing to implement CSI at major ports around the world. Under the CSI program, a team of officers from CBP are deployed to work with host nation counterparts to target high-risk cargo containers.

"The Declaration of Principles that we signed today, while marking a milestone in the cooperation between the customs authorities of Sri Lanka and US will strengthen the risk assessment capability of the Colombo Port. It will also help to streamline Port Operations. I therefore welcome this initiative" said Mr. Sarath Jayathilake, Director-General, Sri Lanka Customs.

Governments representing 19 of the top 20 ports have agreed to implement CSI. This includes an agreement with the government of Thailand, for the Port of Laem Chabang, which Secretary Ridge signed with Thailand’s Foreign Minister on June 10. The top 20 ports are points of passage for approximately 68 percent of cargo containers shipped to the United States.

On Thursday, June 12, 2003, Secretary Ridge and CBP Commissioner Robert C. Bonner announced that CSI will be expanding to strategic locations beyond the 20 initial major ports to include areas of the Middle East such as Dubai. CBP is also coordinating agreements with Sri Lanka, key ports in Africa, ports in Latin America, and other major ports in Asia and Europe.

Most recently, the governments of Malaysia and Sweden have joined CSI. In Europe, CBP is looking to expand CSI to at least 11 additional ports to include Livorno, Gioia Tauro, and Naples.

“As part of CSI Phase 2, we will be expanding CSI to other ports that ship substantial amounts of cargo to the United States, and that have the infrastructure and technology in place to participate in the program. CSI Phase 2 will enable us to extend port security protection to more than 80 percent of all containers coming to the United States – casting the safety net of CSI far and wide,” Commissioner Bonner said.

CSI is the only formal program in operation today that is designed to detect and deter terrorists from exploiting the vulnerabilities of containerized cargo. CSI is also a reciprocal program. CBP offers CSI-participating countries the opportunity to send their customs officers to major U.S. ports to target cargo that is exported to their country via ocean containers. CBP will also share its information and pre-arrival data on a bilateral basis with its CSI partners. Sharing of information is intended to be a reciprocal process.

CSI consists of four core elements: 1) using intelligence and automated information to identify and target high-risk containers; (2) pre-screening those containers identified as high-risk, at the port of departure, before they arrive at U.S. ports; (3) using detection technology to quickly pre-screen high-risk containers; and (4) using smarter, tamper-evident containers.

"The basic premise behind each of these elements is to extend our zone of security outward, so that the American seaports and borders become the last line of defense, not the first," Commissioner Bonner said.

The CSI initiative supports the "Cooperative G8 Action on Transport Security" adopted by G8 in June 2002.