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Washington, D.C. — United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Ralph Basham announced today that with the stationing of CBP personnel at the Port of Freeport, Bahamas, 50 foreign seaports are now fully participating in the Container Security Initiative (CSI) program. CSI is designed to protect the stream of imports into the U.S. by deploying CBP personnel to critical foreign seaports in order to work with their foreign counterparts in targeting and prescreening cargo containers. The program began in January, 2002 as a response to the new terrorist threats to the ocean-bound containerized movement of goods.

“This milestone represents an extraordinary accomplishment,” said Commissioner Basham. “In the span of five years, a system has been created that protects and promotes the movement of goods into the U.S. Additionally, CSI holds forth the promise of protecting and promoting trade around the globe.”

The 50 fully operational seaports account for screening abroad approximately 82 percent of all containerized merchandise imported into the U.S. CSI has deployed CBP officers to Europe, Asia, Africa, North, South and Central America, and the Middle East. CSI serves the interests of business and security. Under this program, containers destined for U.S. shores that are deemed high-risk are inspected at CSI ports, thereby securing the global trade lanes and facilitating the movement of goods.

CSI is a critical component of the government’s strategy to secure the Nation from the terrorist threat using maritime cargo containers. Twenty-eight customs administrations have committed to joining CSI and are at various stages of implementation.

CSI initially deployed agency personnel to the top 20 largest volume ports that export to the U.S. The program will continue to expand to strategic locations globally that ship goods to the U.S. and that have appropriate infrastructure and technology to participate in the CSI. By the end of 2007, CBP officials hope to expand CSI to 58 ports. This expansion would mean that approximately 85 percent of imported goods would be covered by CSI.

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.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control, and protection of our Nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.