Lisbon 42nd operational port covered by US CSI

16 Dec '05

3 min read

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Acting Commissioner Deborah J. Spero and Director-General for Customs and Excise Ana Maria Jordão of Portugal announced the Port of Lisbon as the 42nd operational Container Security Initiative (CSI) port to target and pre-screen maritime cargo containers destined for U.S. ports.

CBP and the government of Portugal signed the declaration of principles on July 7, 2005.

“The Container Security Initiative is a deterrent to terrorists seeking to use containerized cargo as a conduit for terrorism within the maritime environment. Having CSI ports, such as the one in Lisbon, is making U.S. borders more secure and more efficient,” said Acting Commissioner Spero. “CSI is a way of addressing the threat to global trade making it more secure against terrorist exploitation. CBP will continue to cast out the CSI security blanket to additional foreign ports.”

CBP will deploy a team of officers to be stationed at the Port of Lisbon to work with Portuguese Customs Officials to target maritime containers destined for the United States. Portugal's Customs officials, working with CBP officers, will be responsible for screening any containers identified as a potential terrorist risk.

Under the Container Security Initiative, CBP has entered into bilateral partnerships to identify high-risk maritime cargo containers before they are loaded on vessels destined for the United States. Today, 25 administrations have committedto join CSI and are at various stages of implementation.

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