NCBFAA SEEKS PASSAGE OF COMPREHENSIVE PORT SECURITY BILL

NCBFAA SEEKS PASSAGE OF COMPREHENSIVE PORT SECURITY BILL    The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America has appealed to Congress through committee efforts to pass a seaport security bill that ensures cargo security from the point of origin before its departure for America.
   Peter Powell, NCBFAA president, said that six members of his group, since November, participated in committees that submitted border security recommendations to the U.S. Treasury Commercial Operations Advisory Committee this month. Citing that industry and government prefer to “basically have a sense of comfort before something is loaded overseas,” he stressed that this shipment information could be electronically transmitted to U.S. Customs prior to departure.
   Powell said that, before Sept. 11, most aspects of port security pertained to prevention of cargo theft. Now, security is top priority. John Kent, Washington representative for the NCBFAA, agreed. “Port security really meant security of the merchandise. And as time went on, it got recast.”
   Powell and Kent said the NCBFAA appealed to Congress to pass legislation that would ensure the confidence of partners in the supply chain because of mandating non-disclosure of confidential information. That would give the supply chain partners confidence in legislation without divulging confidential information, Powell said.
   Recent legislation has called for carriers to disclose the identity of their shippers as well as the cargo in transport. Powell, Kent and others in the industry believe that this kind of legislation violates the confidentiality of the shipper and could allow room for economic espionage by competing carriers and shippers. “That’s not a way to solve the problem, as far as NVOs (non-vessel-operating common carriers) are concerned,” Kent said.
   The NCBFAA has contended with the confidentiality issue long before it was discussed at a COAC meeting last week in Washington, Powell said. “It has been in our minds much longer than anything that occurred last week.'
   Powell proposed establishing a database with information on known shippers and known consignees that would be available only to those who would need to see it, whether they be a government agency or those authorized in industry. “I think that is basically a common desire for everybody in the supply chain,” he said.
   Powell and Kent acknowledged the recent formation of the Non-Vessel-Operating Common Carrier-Government Affairs Coalition. But they chose not to comment on the group, other than to hope that the two groups, which presumably hold similar interests, would not cancel each other out while addressing Congress and congressional aides. “You run a bit of risk of neutralizing each other,” Kent said.