Port of Kaohsiung
On July 25th, 2005, United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Robert C. Bonner announced that the Port of Kaohsiung was the 38th operational port to join the Container Security Initiative (CSI), targeting and pre-screening maritime cargo containers destined for U.S. ports.
The Container Security Initiative is designed to detect and deter terrorist from exploiting the vulnerabilities of containerized maritime cargo. Under the Container Security Initiative, CBP has entered into partnerships to identify high-risk cargo containers before they are loaded on vessels destined for the United States.
Before the 9/11 terrorist attack CSI did not exist. It was proposed and launched by Commissioner Bonner in January 2002 as a means to protect the global trade lanes against potential terrorist exploitation. CSI has been accepted globally as a bold and revolutionary initiative to help secure maritime cargo shipments against the terrorist threat.
The World Customs Organization (WCO), the European Union (EU), and the G8 support CSI and have adopted resolutions implementing CSI security measures introduced at ports throughout the world. To date, twenty-eight Customs Administrations have joined CSI. Currently, there are 58 operational CSI ports in Europe, Asia, Africa, North, South and Central America, and the Middle East. Approximately 86 percent of the imported goods entering the United States by maritime cargo containers pass through these CSI ports.
A CSI team is stationed at the port of Kaohsiung to target maritime containers destined to the United States. Kaohsiung Customs officials, working with the CSI team, are responsible for screening any containers identified as a potential terrorist risk.
For more information please visit the Customs and Border Protection website at www.cbp.gov .
