WASHINGTON, D.C.--U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Robert C. Bonner announced today that the Container Security Initiative (CSI) is now operational at the port of Singapore, the largest transshipment port in the world for cargo containers destined for U.S. ports.

The port of Singapore joins the already operational CSI ports of Rotterdam, LeHavre, Bremerhaven, Hamburg, and Antwerp in Europe, Singapore in Asia, and Vancouver, Montreal, and Halifax in Canada.

"CSI is essential to securing global trade against terrorist exploitation. The CSI security blanket is now expanding and strengthening as it encompasses the port of Singapore, the first port in Asia and one of the largest ports in the world," said Commissioner Bonner. "We are getting CSI implemented in those ports that have signed on. We will continue to deploy teams to other participating ports as quickly as possible."

Singapore is the first CSI port in Asia. CBP has deployed a small team of 5 U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Singapore. These officers will work jointly with authorities in Singapore to pre-screen and target high-risk cargo containers bound for the U.S.

The port of Singapore is one of the world's largest. While it ranks second to Hong Kong as a transshipment port, Singapore ranks as the wold's busiest port overall. As such, Singapore is positioned at a key crossroads in the global trading system with a high potential for detecting items of concern. Approximately 80 percent of the containers handled in Singapore are transshipments. Last year, roughly 330,000 sea cargo containers entered the United States from the port of Singapore.

CSI is an initiative that was developed by U.S. Customs in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11th. Now within the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is continuing to implement CSI at major ports around the world. Under the CSI program, a small number of CBP officers are deployed to work with host nation counterparts to target high-risk cargo containers. Its purpose is to protect containerized shipping from exploitation by terrorists. Containerized shipping is a critical component of global trade because most of the international trade moves or is transported in containers.

To date, 18 of the top 20 ports have agreed to join CSI and are at various stages of implementation. These ports are points of passage for approximately two-thirds of containers shipped to the United States. They include (by container cargo volume): Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Rotterdam, Pusan, Bremerhaven, Tokyo, Genoa, Yantian, Antwerp, Nagoya, Le Havre, Hamburg, La Spezia, Felixstowe, Algeciras, Kobe, and Yokohama.

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 proof containers.

Globally, over 48 million full cargo containers move between major seaports each year. Each year, more than 6 million containers arrive in the United States by ship.

"Now that we have nearly achieved our goal for CSI at most of the top 20 ports, 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," Commissioner Bonner said.

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.

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

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