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Robert C Bonner News

05 Apr 2010

Bersin Appointed CBP Commissioner

President Obama has appointed Alan Bersin Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Commissioner Bersin oversees the operations of CBP’s 57,000-employee work force and manages an operating budget of more than $11b. CBP’s mission is to protect the nation’s borders at and between the ports of entry from all threats while facilitating legitimate travel and trade. Commissioner Bersin is CBP’s third Commissioner following former Commissioner’s Robert C. Bonner and W. Ralph Basham. Former Commissioner Bonner was the first Commissioner at CBP’s inception March 1, 2003. CBP’s operational offices include the Office of Field Operations, the U.S. Border Patrol, the Office of Air and Marine and the Office of International Trade.

06 Jul 2004

Enforcement of Automation Requirement for Inbound Vessels Begins July 6

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Robert C. Bonner announced that starting July 6, 2004, CBP will begin full enforcement of the automation requirement for vessel carriers under the Trade Act Regulations. The regulations provide that CBP must receive cargo information electronically via a CBP-approved data interchange system before the cargo is brought into the United States. CBP uses the cargo information to identify and eliminate potential terrorist threats before a vessel sails from a foreign port to U.S. seaports, rather than after a vessel and its cargo arrives in the United States. "Customs and Border Protection…

12 Jul 2004

New Guidelines for Antidumping Duty Cases

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner (CBP) Robert C. Bonner acted today to ensure the collection of duties by announcing new guidelines for determining bond requirements for importers of agriculture/aquaculture merchandise who may be importing and selling products for less than the cost of manufacturing them, a practice known as "dumping". "In addition to our priority anti-terrorism mission, U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the second largest revenue generating agency for the United States. We are charged not only with the protection of our nation's revenue through the collection of duties at our borders, but we are also partially responsible for ensuring that American business is competing on a level playing field," stated Commissioner Bonner.

27 Jul 2004

CSI Achieves Major Milestone: 20 Ports In

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…

27 Feb 2002

Zoellick and Bonner To Speak at AAPA Conference

U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert B. Zoellick and U.S.Customs Commissioner Robert C. Spring Conference meeting on Tuesday, March 19, at the Washington Court Hotel in Washington, D.C. Ambassador Zoellick will receive AAPA's Port Person of the Year Award and will provide the keynote address at 8:30 a.m. on March 19. Commissioner Bonner will be the featured speaker during the Annual "Washington People's Luncheon" from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. He is expected to address seaport security issues during his remarks. AAPA's Port Person of the Year Award is presented annually to an individual who has made significant contributions to the port industry. opening markets abroad and maintaining an open-market policy within the U.S. maritime transportation.

07 Aug 2002

Crowley to Receive Approval to Participate in C-TPAT

Crowley Liner Services has received word that its C-TPAT application, Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been approved by U.S. Customs. This approval makes Crowley one of the first ocean carriers to be enrolled in the U.S. Customs Service’s new program, Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT). The program, established as a result of the attack on the United States on Sept. 11, is designed to develop a more secure border environment by improving the security for the transportation of passengers, crew conveyances and cargo throughout the commercial process. To get to this point of acceptance, Crowley has completed the MOU and submitted the "Sea Carrier Security Profile Questionnaire" which outlines Crowley's full security plan to U.S. Customs.

20 Dec 2004

CSI Operational in Livorno, Italy

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.

01 Feb 2005

USCG Streamlines Ship Security Process

Beginning January 31, members of the maritime industry required to provide arrival and departure information to the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Customs and Border Protection will be able to do so through the submission of one report. The Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) require vessels to submit crew, passenger, vessel, voyage and cargo information for safety and security purposes and for the enforcement of U.S. immigration, import, and export laws, prior to arrival in a U.S port or place. In the past, vessels were required to submit this information separately to both the Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection.

21 Jun 2005

Bonner Urges Support for Secure Global Trade

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.

22 Jul 2005

Radiation Monitors Debut in LA

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Robert C. Bonner unveiled the first Radiation Portal Monitors now operational at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The event was part of a seaport security summit designed to acquaint port officials and the public with the pivotal role played by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in safeguarding the nation’s busiest seaport. “When it comes to the continued vibrancy of the United States economy, it is safe to say that as the ports of LA and Long Beach go, so goes the nation,” Commissioner Bonner stated. The recent recommendations that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Michael Chertoff announced on July 13, called for “better systems to move people and goods more securely”.

22 Aug 2002

Customs Set to Begin Third Phase of C-TPAT

U.S. Customs Service Commissioner Robert C. Bonner today announced that Customs will begin taking applications as of August 26, 2002, from brokers, freight forwarders, and non-vessel operating common carriers for membership in the Customs-Trade Partnership program. The program, dubbed C-TPAT, is an initiative between business and government to protect global commerce from terrorism. Unveiled this past April, the program initially sought membership from the importing and global transportation communities. "The partnership will work best only if it is comprehensive," said Bonner. The program calls upon importing businesses and service providers to establish policies to enhance their own security practices and those of business partners involved in the supply chain.

28 Aug 2002

U.S. Customs Inspectors Deployed to Rotterdam

U.S. Customs Commissioner Robert C. Bonner announced the deployment of the first team of U.S. Customs officers reporting for duty at the Port of Rotterdam, Netherlands, as part of the Container Security Initiative (CSI). This is the first time in the 213-year history of the U.S. Customs Service that inspectors will be assigned outside of North America to target and screen cargo before being shipped to the United States. The Netherlands was first in Europe to sign an agreement with U.S. Customs to participate in CSI. Commissioner Bonner’s policy address at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) focused on trade, borders, and homeland security one year after 9/11. Bonner reported on the progress U.S.

23 Sep 2002

Singapore Joins U.S. Customs CSI

Robert C. Bonner, Commissioner of the U.S. Customs Service, today announced the signing of a declaration by the government of Singapore to join the Container Security Initiative (CSI), a key U.S. Customs initiative designed to prevent global sea cargo from being exploited by terrorists to inflict harm on America and other nations of the world. "I congratulate the government of Singapore for becoming the first Asian port to join the U.S. Customs Container Security," said Commissioner Bonner. "Today's signing marks an important first for the global supply chain of trade, from Asia to the United States. Now our implementation work begins. Launched by U.S. Customs in January 2002, the CSI is designed to enhance the security of global maritime shipping, a vital link in world commerce.

24 Sep 2002

Hong Kong Joins U.S. Customs CSI

Robert C. Bonner, Commissioner of the U.S. Customs Service, today announced the signing of a declaration by Hong Kong to join the Container Security Initiative (CSI), a key U.S. Customs initiative designed to prevent global sea cargo from being exploited by terrorists to inflict harm on America and other nations of the world. "I applaud the government of Hong Kong for joining the U.S. Customs Service Container Security Initiative. Hong Kong has taken a very important step towards securing the global supply chain of trade, from Asia to the United States," said Commissioner Bonner. Launched by U.S. Customs in January 2002, the CSI is designed to enhance the security of global maritime shipping, a vital link in world commerce.

29 Jul 2003

China Joins CSI

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security today announced that the People's Republic of China formally joined the Container Security Initiative (CSI). U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Robert C. Bonner and Mu Xinsheng, Commissioner of the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China, today signed a declaration of principles in Beijing, formally initiating joint efforts to target and pre-screen cargo containers shipped from the ports of Shanghai and Shenzhen destined for U.S. ports. "CSI is an essential element of the layered security strategy of the United States," said Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge.

16 Jan 2003

Bonner to Head Delegation to OAS Conference on Terrorism

Customs Commissioner Robert C. Bonner will head the U.S. delegation to the Third Regular Session of the Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism (CICTE), which will take place in El Salvador January 22-24, 2003. The conference agenda is designed to build on the momentum created by the adoption in June 2002 of the Inter-American Convention Against Terrorism, the first international legal instrument against terrorism adopted since the attacks of September 11, 2001. The meeting will expand the cooperative counterterrorism efforts undertaken thus far in the hemisphere and result in formal recommendations on counterterrorism issues to the Special Conference on Hemispheric Security planned for May.

22 Jan 2003

Korea to Join Customs Container Security Initiative

U.S. Customs Commissioner Robert C. Bonner and Yong-Sup Lee, Commissioner of the Customs Service of the Republic of Korea, today announced that the government of the Republic of Korea has agreed to participate in the U.S. Customs Container Security Initiative (CSI). Commissioner Lee and Deputy U.S. Customs Commissioner Douglas M. Browning conducted the signing ceremony on Friday, January 17, in Seoul. CSI is a U.S. Customs initiative designed to prevent the smuggling of terrorists or terrorist weapons in ocean-going cargo containers. Under terms of the declaration announced today, U.S. Customs officers will be stationed at the port of Busan.

24 Feb 2003

CSI Expands Beyond Megaports

U.S. Customs Commissioner Robert C. Bonner announced that the Container Security Initiative (CSI) participating ports of Bremerhaven and Hamburg are now operational. Bremerhaven and Hamburg join the already operational CSI ports of Rotterdam and LeHavre in Europe and Montreal, Halifax, and Vancouver in Canada. The port of Antwerp is expected to be operational by February 25. Rotterdam became operational on September 2, 2002 and LeHavre on December 2, 2002. The three Canadian ports were operational in March of 2002. "We are getting CSI implemented in those ports that have signed on. We will continue to deploy teams to the participating ports as quickly as possible," said Commissioner Bonner.

05 Dec 2002

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.

03 Dec 2002

U.S. Customs 24-Hour Rule Begins

U.S. Customs Commissioner Robert C. Bonner announced that the new 24-hour rule requiring advance cargo manifests from sea carriers goes into effect today. Under the new rule, Customs will grant sea carriers a 60-day grace period to fully implement the program. "Over the next two months we strongly encourage rapidly increasing compliance by all parties that are required to take action under the regulation. By quickly implementing the '24-hour rule,' we can together do a better job of protecting the American people and the global trading system as a whole," said Commissioner Bonner. "Customs will continue to provide many types of assistance at both the local (port) level and at the Headquarters level, to assist companies in the operational transition to the new procedures.

30 Jan 2003

Sweden Joins CSI

Customs Commissioner Robert C. Bonner and Kjell Jansson, Director General of the Swedish Customs Service, today announced that the government of Sweden has agreed to participate in the U.S. Customs Container Security Initiative (CSI). CSI is a U.S. Customs initiative designed to prevent the smuggling of terrorist weapons in ocean-going cargo containers. Under terms of the declaration announced today, U.S. Customs officers will be stationed at the port of Göteborg (Gothenburg), the first European port outside the top 20 mega ports to join CSI. "I am very pleased that the government of Sweden has agreed to join with the United States in the Container Security Initiative," said Commissioner Bonner. "We recognize the high volume of trade between the Port of Göteborg and seaports in the U.S.

23 Jun 2003

CSI Operational in Genoa

U. S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Robert C. Bonner announced that the Container Security Initiative (CSI) becomes operational today at the port of Genoa, Italy. CBP and the government of Italy signed a declaration of principles on November 7, 2002. As part of the CSI program, CBP has deployed a team of officers to the port of Genoa to work with host government personnel to target high-risk cargo containers destined for the United States. Italian government officials are responsible for screening any container identified jointly with CBP officers as a potential terrorist risk. The port of Genoa is the 14th CSI port to become operational.

26 Jun 2003

Sri Lanka joins CSI

Sri Lanka has signed an agreement to join the Container Security Initiative (CSI). Only two weeks ago, the Department of Homeland Security announced to beginning of Phase II of CSI, expanding the program to more than just the top 20 foreign container ports. The agreement marks the first CSI signing since Tom Ridge, Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and CBP Commissioner Bonner announced the launch of Phase 2 of CSI just two weeks ago. As part of the CSI program, CBP will deploy a team of officers to the port of Colombo to work with host government personnel to target high-risk cargo containers destined for the United States. Officials of the Sri Lanka government are responsible for screening any container identified jointly with CBP officers as a potential terrorist risk.

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