U.S.-ASIA TRADE LANES PILOT EMPLOYS TECHNOLOGY, PARTNERSHIP

U.S.-ASIA TRADE LANES PILOT EMPLOYS TECHNOLOGY, PARTNERSHIP    A new partnership involving American and Asian ports will employ technology and intelligence sharing to inspect cargo prior to departure for America, while allowing authorities to track the whereabouts and status of seagoing containers in real-time.
   The new initiative, Smart and Secure Trade Lanes, was kicked off in Washington Thursday, by U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and other government officials. As part of the initiative, up to 2,000 containers by the end of September will bear electronic seals on routes between the ports of Seattle and Tacoma, Singapore and Hong Kong.
   A government agency official said the SST program augments two U.S. Customs security initiatives, the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, and the Container Security Initiative, in the agency's fight against terrorism through forming partnerships with foreign governments and industry.
   “This will not be entirely a silver bullet,” said Jayson Ahern, assistant commissioner for Customs’ Office of Field Operations. “This is one link in the entire supply chain.”
   Murray, who was accompanied by Ahern, Ambassador Chan Heng Chee, of the Republic of Singapore, Ahern, and port executives, said SST demonstrates the utilization of a security initiative, “Operation Safe Commerce,” which calls for pre-screening and tracking of cargo throughout its route.
   Murray said that, although costs will be incurred by shippers to apply electronic seals to their containers, it will expedite shipments by avoiding unnecessary inspections. The seals, produced by SAVI Technology, start as low as $5 apiece.
   “The incentive to them is that their containers will be shipped much quicker,” Murray said.