World Customs Organization News

A major joint operation organised by the Australian Border Force (ABF), World Customs Organization (WCO), the World Shipping Council and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has led to 43 arrests and more than 100 drug seizures, including 98,734 kilograms of cocaine and 314 kilograms of cannabis.58 countries were involved, and the ABF worked alongside officers from German Customs, United Kingdom Border Force, US Customs and Border Protection and the Dutch Customs Administration to deliver a series of coordinated strikes on organised crime.The operation…

Streamlining the many administrative procedures necessary when ships enter or leave port is an important element of International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s work.And now, an important tool used by software developers to create systems for exchanging the relevant data electronically has been made available by the Organization online and free of charge.The IMO Compendium is a reference manual containing data sets and the structure and relationships between them, that will enable the IMO Member States to fulfill a mandatory obligation (in place since April 2019) for the reporting formalities for ships, cargo and people on board international…

International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s rules and regulations for suppressing unlawful acts against the safety of navigation can be seen in the wider context of the global fight against terrorism.The United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (UNCTED) carries out assessment visits to countries to assess their compliance with various international security instruments and UN Security Council resolutions.IMO took part in a follow-up visit to the United Kingdom (7-11 October) together with experts from Interpol, the World Customs Organization and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, particularly to assess the country's implementation of the special maritime security measures in IMO's SOLAS chapter XI-2…

Legal experts and port and maritime security officers from Bangladesh, Maldives and Sri Lanka have gathered at  International Maritime Organization (IMO)  in London (27-29 November) for a focused sub-regional workshop on implementing transport-related (maritime) counter terrorism instruments.A press note from IMO said that the joint United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and IMO Counter Terrorism/Security sub-regional workshop was a follow-up to three national workshops in the same countries."This is part of an ongoing UNODC/IMO project to boost implementation of IMO maritime security and counter terrorism treaties, including SOLAS Chapter XI-2 and the suppression of unlawful acts (SUA) instruments.

APM Terminals India Pvt. Ltd became one of India’s first Inland Service providers to receive the internationally recognized security standard, Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) from the World Customs Organization. The aim of the AEO program is to prevent unlawful trade across borders and facilitate legitimate trade designates. The AEO certification acknowledges APM Terminals India Pvt. Ltd, which operates under the brand APM Terminals Inland Services, South Asia, as a 'secure' and 'reliable' trade partner for global supply chains. As such, it can offer higher levels of efficiency and faster export-import services. “The certification is a validation of our long-standing values and commitment towards safety and security…

Standardization and harmonization are essential in order to achieve efficient shipping and seamless transport, particularly when it comes to electronic data exchange. International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s Facilitation Committee, which is meeting (5-8 June) at IMO Headquarters, is set to approve a revised format of the IMO Compendium on Facilitation and Electronic Business, including a completely revised and updated standard IMO data model set. Data models define and format information which might be transferred between automated systems, such as for export, import and transit. The revised Compendium will include a completely revised data structure, including digitalization-friendly definitions of all the information elements that a ship is required to report.

International Maritime Organization (IMO) 's maritime security provisions and the IMO treaties for the suppression of unlawful acts against the safety of navigation can be seen in the wider context of the global fight against terrorism. The United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (UNCTED) carries out assessment visits to countries to assess their compliance with various international security instruments. IMO has participated in a follow-up UNCTED assessment visit to Greece (31 January to 1 February), alongside the World Customs Organization (WCO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the international police agency Interpol.

Effective global electronic data exchange for ships entering and leaving ports depends on standardized and harmonized practices for data exchange. This can include data models which define and format data which might be transferred between automated systems, such as for export, import and transit. IMO participated in the World Customs Organization (WCO) Data Model Project Team meeting (22-26 January) in Brussels, to receive updates on the latest work by the WCO. The WCO Data Model supports the implementation of a “single window” for electronic data exchange, as it allows the reporting of information to all government agencies through the unique way it organizes regulatory information.

IMO and the World Customs Organization (WCO) have signed a partnership agreement to maintain, update, publish and distribute the IMO Compendium on Facilitation and Electronic Business. The compendium provides essential guidance and standardised forms for electronic exchange of information on cargo, passengers and crew, for ships, carriers, port authorities, customs, terminals, consignees and other parties in the supply chain. Under the agreement, signed on 22 December, the WCO takes responsibility for the technical maintenance of the compendium, including liaison with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the global focal point for trade facilitation recommendations and electronic business standards (UN/EDIFACT).

Chris Koch, current president and CEO of the World Shipping Council (WSC), will retire from his position on July 31, 2015, and WSC Senior Vice-President and General Counsel, John Butler, will assume that position on August 1 of next year. Following his retirement as president, Koch will continue to support the council in a senior advisory capacity. In announcing the personnel changes, Chairman of the WSC Board of Directors, Ron Widdows, said, “During [Koch’s] 15 years of leadership…

Port facilities need to further strengthen their capacities for surveillance and access control, in order to reduce the incidence of stowaways, participants at a regional seminar on stowaways in West and Central Africa agreed. The IMO Regional Seminar on Stowaways in West and Central Africa: Analysis of the current situation and measures to reduce their number was held in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, from March 25-27, 2014, hosted by the Ministry of Transport of Côte d’Ivoire in the premises of the Port of Abidjan. More than 50 participants, 31 of which were funded by IMO’s Technical Cooperation program attended the seminar, including security and immigration officials from the 12 most frequent ports of embarkation of stowaways (major ports of Benin…

Two years after its official launch, the European Port Community Systems Association (ECPSA) will host a conference focusing on the simplification of port processes and trade facilitation. What are the key strands of European Union policy relating to port processes? How are they viewed from the differing perspectives of the European Commission and the shipping and ports community? And what is needed next to drive forward trade facilitation within and beyond Europe? These thorny topics will be tackled in presentations by a series of speakers and in panel discussions at the conference…

The European Port Community Systems Association (EPCSA) is determined to keep its focus on the important issues and maintain close contact with officers and decision-makers in the European Commission, according to the association’s new chairman and vice-chairman. Alan Long, managing director of Felixstowe-based Maritime Cargo Processing (MCP), has been appointed chairman of EPCSA, and Piet Jan ten Thije, strategy and business director of Rotterdam-based Portbase, is the new vice chairman of the association.

U.S. based ModusLink certified for stringent supply chain security standards for customs procedures & logistic trade-related initiatives. Certified Authorized Economic Operator and C-TPAT status has been granted for ModusLink’s U.S. and EMEA-based Solution Centers. ModusLinkGlobal Solutions™ Inc. has received Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) security certifications for its Solution Centers in Kildare, Ireland; Apeldoorn, The Netherlands and Brno, Czech Republic. The World Customs Organization, which oversees AEO guidelines, currently represents 178 member countries in developing global standards for customs procedures and enforcement, supply chain security, and many other trade-related initiatives.

ADM Robert J. Subcommittee. capabilities. For more than 220 years, the U.S. Coast Guard has safeguarded the nation’s maritime interests and natural resources on our rivers and ports, in the coastal regions, on the high seas, and around the world. The Coast Guard saves those in peril and protects the nation’s maritime border, marine transportation system, natural resources, and the environment. Coast Guard men and women – active duty, reserve, civilian and auxiliarists alike – deliver premier service to the public. military force of maritime professionals whose broad legal authorities, assets, geographic diversity, and expansive partnerships provide a persistent presence in the inland waters, ports, coastal regions, and far offshore areas of operations.

The Strategic Council on Security Technology announced the global rollout of Phase Two of the Smart and Secure Tradelanes (SST) initiative. In the last year, SST has become the largest cargo security program in operation, helping global shippers to automatically track the location and status of containers while creating a system to detect and report container tampering. The second phase of SST focuses on further expansion of the global network, extending operations, shipments, and integration into existing supply chain systems while incorporating new technologies such as sensor-equipped smart containers into global supply chain systems. Smart and Secure Tradelanes (SST) is an industry-funded supply chain security and efficiency initiative.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Robert C. Bonner and Vassilios Manolopoulos, Director General, of the Greek Directorate General of Customs and Excise announced that CBP officers have been deployed to the port of Piraeus as part of the Container Security Initiative (CSI) and that CSI has become operational there. As part of the CSI program, CBP officers are working with host government personnel as part of CSI, to target cargo containers that pose a potential risk for terrorism destined for the United States. Greek Customs officials will inspect containers identified as a potential terrorist risk. Deputy Secretary James Loy of the Department of Homeland Security and Director General Manolopoulos…

The U.S. Coast Guard has submitted, on behalf of the United States Government, recommended measures that it believes should be undertaken internationally to improve maritime security for the purpose of preventing and suppressing acts of terrorism against shipping. The recommended measures include advancing the date by which automatic identification systems must be installed on ships from July 1, 2008 to July 1, 2004; requiring the preparation of ship, offshore facility, and port facility security plans; designation of ship and company security officers; seafarer identification verification; port vulnerability assessments; port of origin container examinations…

for a successful outcome to the conference is high. 9th to 13th September 2002. chapter XI. recommendatory. of the risks must be made in each particular case. in threat with changes in vulnerability for ships and port facilities. facility security assessments. essential components. life or damage to the port facility's economy or environment. assets and infrastructure in order to prioritise security measures. within a port facility that may be a likely target. accurately evaluate risk. facilities. drills will naturally play an important role. by the Administration or Contracting Government, as the case may be. the Contracting Government would set the appropriate security level. situations, respectively. appropriate security measures for the ship and for the port facility.

The U.S. Customs Container Security Initiative (CSI) is a program launched by Commissioner Robert Bonner, on January 17 in a speech given at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. CSI secures an indispensable, but vulnerable, link in the chain of global trade: the oceangoing sea container. Customs plays a unique role in processing maritime trade, an ever-expanding stream of commerce, while continually protecting America from terrorism and crime. · The volume of trade moving through the nation’s 102 seaports has nearly doubled since 1995. · In 2001, U.S. Customs processed more than 214,000 vessels and 5.7 million sea containers. · Approximately 90 percent of the world’s cargo moves by container. · Globally over 200 million cargo containers move between major seaports each year.

The Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection and Related Functions (COAC), sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security, will meet in Buffalo, New York on September 10. Topics on the agenda include advance cargo information, World Customs Organization (WCO) security, C-TPAT process review, and bioterrorism.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Robert C. Bonner and Italian Customs Director General Mario Andrea Guaiana announced the Port of Livorno as the 33rd operational Container Security Initiative (CSI) port. The stand-up of Livorno completes the expansion of the Container Security Initiative in Italy. CSI developed along the guidelines set forth in the declaration of principles signed in November 2002 between Commissioner Bonner and Italian Customs Director General Mario Andrea Guaiana. CSI has been operational at the ports of Genoa and LaSpezia since June 2003. Most recently, the port of Naples became operational on September 30, 2004, and the port of Gioia Tauro on October 29, 2004.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Robert C. Bonner will be heading to Brussels, Belgium, to urge the members of the World Customs Organization (WCO) to adopt the WCO Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade. At next week’s WCO Council Session, the 166 members will decide whether to adopt the Framework of Standards, which will provide a set of common standards for governments and the trade community to secure and facilitate the movement 99 percent of trade. “The Framework represents a worldwide strategy that all nations can implement in order to combat global terrorism and to protect trade and our economies. And, it has the potential to revolutionize the security and efficient movement of global trade,” Commissioner Bonner said.