Georgia Ports Participate in C-TPAT

GPA among first in the Nation to enroll in program U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., on Wednesday, May 28, announced that the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) is participating in the U.S. Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program. The C-TPAT program is designed to enhance the prevention of terrorism throughout the entire supply chain by combining the security efforts of organizations involved in global commerce. "I am proud to announce today that the Georgia Ports Authority is among the first marine terminal operators in the United States to enroll in the C-TPAT program," said Chambliss. "This exciting new initiative, developed by the Customs and Border Protection (CDP) agency within the Department of Homeland Security, is an excellent step toward further protecting the maritime supply chain from acts of terrorism." In order to reduce the threat risks associated with terrorism, CDP is actively encouraging the importing community to collaborate by strengthening their supply chains. "GPA's participation in the C-TPAT program underscores our commitment to continue our efforts to develop and implement effective security measures and to maintain the highest level of collaboration with our customers and federal regulatory agencies," said Doug J. Marchand, GPA's Executive Director. C-TPAT is a joint government-business initiative to build cooperative relationships that strengthen overall supply chain and border security. "GPA recognizes that only through close cooperation between importers, carriers, brokers, warehouse operators and manufacturers can the highest level of security be provided," said Marchand. "By participating in C-TPAT, the GPA has already begun to ask businesses to help ensure the integrity of their security practices and to communicate security guidelines to all business partners in the supply chain," Chambliss added. Chambliss outlined the following steps GPA has taken or will take as a member of C-TPAT: · Conduct a comprehensive self-assessment of supply chain security using the C-TPAT security guidelines jointly developed by Customs and the trade community. These guidelines, which are available for review on the Customs website, encompass the following areas: Procedural Security, Physical Security, Personnel Security, Education and Training, Access Controls, Manifest Procedures, and Conveyance Security. · Submit a supply chain security profile questionnaire to Customs. · Develop and implement a program to enhance security throughout the supply chain in accordance with C-TPAT guidelines. · Communicate C-TPAT guidelines to other companies in the supply chain and work toward building the guidelines into relationships with these companies. "C-TPAT offers Georgia's ports an opportunity to play an active role in the war against terrorism," said Chambliss. "By participating in this first worldwide supply chain security initiative, GPA will ensure a more secure supply chain for their employees, suppliers and customers."