Customs Announces CSI Deployment at Le Havre

U.S. Customs Commissioner Robert C. Bonner announced the deployment of four U.S. Customs officers to the French port of Le Havre, marking the latest step in the agency's Container Security Initiative (CSI). CSI is designed to prevent terrorists from infiltrating the world's sea cargo environment by improving security at key seaports worldwide. Under the program, U.S. Customs inspectors at foreign seaports target and pre-screen U.S.-bound cargo containers before they are shipped to America. Non-intrusive inspection technology is used to screen the containers for weapons of mass destruction, before the containers are loaded on ships bound for the United States. "I am grateful to the French Government for aggressively implementing CSI," said Commissioner Bonner of today's announcement. "We continue to make major progress in creating a more secure environment for maritime cargo, for ports, and for the world economy as a whole." To date, nine countries have agreed to participate with U.S. Customs under CSI. These agreements cover 15 ports, all among the top 20 ports that handle shipments bound for the United States.