CBP unveils CSI expansion plan

CBP unveils CSI expansion plan    The United States plans to have customs officers stationed in 40 foreign ports under the Container Security Initiative by the end of 2005, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Robert Bonner said Thursday.
   The U.S. goal is 50 CSI ports by the end of 2006, he told a large group of trade representatives attending the annual Customs Trade Symposium in Washington.
   Last month Bonner indicated for the first time that CBP intended to implement CSI in more than 50 ports, but gave no timetable. About 84 percent of cargo imported by the United States is covered by CSI ports in Europe and about 90 percent of cargo from Asia will soon go through CSI ports, he said. Ultimately 95 percent of cargo imported by the United States would be covered by some sort of pre-inspection capability with 50 or more ports participating in the bilateral program.
   Bonner said the Chinese port of Shanghai and the Port of Kaohsiung will host U.S. Customs officers for joint inspections within the next few months.
   CBP is also considering expanding CSI to: Lisbon, Portugal; Barcelona and Valencia, Spain; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Santos, Brazil; Balboa and Colon, Panama; Dubai; Izmir, Turkey; Shenzhen, China; and Colombo, Sri Lanka.