SECURE FREIGHT INITIATIVE (SFI) BECOMES FULLY OPERATIONAL IN UNITED KINGDOM, PAKISTAN AND HONDURAS

Washington - Southampton Container Terminals, United Kingdom, Port Qasim, Pakistan (both managed by DP World) and Puerto Cortez, Honduras will become the first seaports to implement the Secure Freight Initiative (SFI) beginning October 12 by scanning all maritime containers destined for the United States for nuclear or other radiological materials. These ports fulfill the requirements set out in the Security and Accountability For Every (SAFE) Port Act of 2006, which establishes a program that couples Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) and radiation detection technology. Data from these systems is then provided to U.S. officials at U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center
for analysis.

"As fellow members of the global trade community, preventing a nuclear weapon or dirty bomb attack has to be one of our highest priorities. This initiative advances a comprehensive strategy to secure the global supply chain and substantially limits the potential for terrorist threats," said Jayson P. Ahern, Deputy Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

"Trade and cooperation on security issues are important aspects of the special relationship that exists between the United Kingdom and the United States. In 2006 alone, the total volume of trade between our countries surpassed $165 billion. The United States appreciates the British Government’s participation in the Secure Freight Initiative pilot program. We believe this pilot program is an important step toward a trade model that secures the global supply chain without negatively impacting port and shipping operations," said Ambassador Robert H. Tuttle.

Four additional ports are also scheduled to become operational for Phase I of the project and will provide scanning on a limited capacity basis: Singapore’s Brani terminal; Busan, Korea’s Gamman terminal; Hong Kong’s Modern Terminal and Salalah, Oman. DHS and the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) partnered with these ports because they pose different challenges and provide diverse environments in which to evaluate various options.

SFI builds upon a risk-based approach to securing the international supply chain by leveraging off of existing programs like NNSA’s Megaports Initiative and the DHS’ Container Security Initiative (CSI). To support SFI in the selected ports, NNSA’s Megaports Initiative provided specialized equipment that indicates the presence of special nuclear and other radioactive materials in containerized cargo, thereby enhancing those countries’ capability to deter, detect and interdict illicit shipments of special nuclear and other radioactive materials at its ports. Around the world, the Megaports Initiative is currently operational in eleven ports; operational testing is underway in one additional port; and another 12 ports in Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe and the Middle East are scheduled to be operational in 2008.

The United States contributed roughly $60 million to the Secure Freight Initiative for the installation of scanning systems and communications infrastructure that transmit data back to the United States. Additionally, the U.S. Department of State provided diplomatic assistance in securing the necessary bi-lateral agreements to conduct the program. Furthermore, the U.S. Government is committed to working with our foreign partners, to include trade and industry, to implement 100% scanning in a logical and practical manner that does not adversely affect global trade.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of the nation’s borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

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