U.S. Customs Agents To Be Stationed in Le Havre

The Port of Le Havre Authority is ready to accept a team of U.S. Customs inspectors working closely with French Customs officers under an agreement between the French and United States Governments that makes France’s most important port for container traffic part of the Container Security Initiative (CSI) of U.S. Customs. The agreement was announced today in Europe by Robert Bonner, Commissioner of the U.S. Customs Service, and Alain Cadiou, Director General of French Customs and Excise Service. The CSI is designed to enhance the security of global maritime shipping. “Security measures are of major concern to the Port of Le Havre and we are seeking to harmonize our efforts with other European ports,” said Jean-Marc Lacave, Executive Director of the Port of Le Havre Authority. He emphasized that Le Havre is in a strategic position for the CSI program as the last port of call in Europe before ships cross the Atlantic. The Port of Le Havre has tight security measures in place, including closed container terminals. It is one of the few European ports equipped with a Sycoscan or container scanner and it has an EDI system that links all the members of the Le Havre maritime community.