U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that Argentina is the first South American Country to participate in the Container Security Initiative (CSI).

By signing the declaration of principles on May 9, 2005, U.S. Ambassador to Argentina Lino Gutierrez and Dr. Alberto R. Abad, Federal Administrator of National Revenue of the Argentine Republic, enable all cargo destined for the U.S. through the port of Buenos Aires to be targeted and pre-screened for terrorists and terrorist weapons. On hand to support the signing was Ambassador Cresencio (Cris) Arcos, Director, International Affairs, from the Department of Homeland Security, and Dr. Ricardo Echegarray, Director General of Argentine Customs.

"The port of Buenos Aires is one of the leading ports in South America. I applaud the government of Argentina for assuming a leadership role in the Container Security Initiative," said CBP Commissioner Robert C. Bonner. "CSI strengthens our ability to prevent terrorists and their weapons from entering the United States. By working closely with our host nations, CBP officers are able to identify containers bound for U.S. seaports that pose a potential threat for terrorism. I am particularly pleased to expand the CSI security blanket to South America."

"Argentina's commitment to the Container Security Initiative today is a praiseworthy act of regional leadership," Ambassador Arcos said. "It will invigorate ocean-bound commerce worldwide and bolster efforts to keep the Hemisphere secure."

CSI is the only multinational program in place in the world today that is protecting global trade lanes from being exploited and disrupted by international terrorists. By collaborating with foreign customs administrations, CBP is working towards a safer, more secure world trading system. Under CSI, CBP has entered into bi-lateral partnerships with other administrations to identify high-risk cargo containers and to pre-screen them before they are loaded on vessels destined for the United States.

On average, every day about 25,000 seagoing containers are offloaded at America's seaports. The 36 operational ports in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and North America include: Halifax, Montreal, and Vancouver, Canada; Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Le Havre and Marseille, France; Bremerhaven and Hamburg, Germany; Antwerp and Zeebrugge, Belgium; Singapore; Yokohama, Tokyo, Nagoya, and Kobe, Japan; Hong Kong; Göteborg, Sweden; Felixstowe, Liverpool, Southampton, Thamesport, and Tilbury, United Kingdom; Genoa, La Spezia, Naples, Gioia Tauro and Livorno, Italy; Busan, Korea; Durban, South Africa; Port Klang and Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia; Piraeus, Greece; Algeciras, Spain; Laem Chabang, Thailand; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Shanghai, China

CSI will continue to expand to strategic locations around the world. The World Customs Organization (WCO), the European Union (EU), and the G8 support CSI expansion and have adopted resolutions implementing CSI security measures introduced at ports throughout the world.

Through CSI, maritime containers that pose a risk for terrorism are identified and examined at foreign ports before they are shipped to the United States. In so doing, Commissioner Bonner hopes to prevent terrorist threats from being carried out.CSI consists of elements such as using intelligence and automated information to identify and target containers that pose a risk for terrorism and pre-screening those containers that pose a risk at the port of departure before they arrive at U.S. ports.

Containerized shipping is a critical component of global trade because about 90 percent of the world's trade is transported in cargo containers. In the United States, almost half of incoming trade arrives by containers onboard ships. Nearly nine million cargo containers arrive on ships and are offloaded at U.S. seaports each year.

Also a reciprocal program, CSI offers its participant countries the opportunity to send their customs officers to major U.S. ports to target ocean-going, containerized cargo to be exported to their countries. Likewise, CBP shares information on a bilateral basis with its CSI partners.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). CBP combined the inspectional workforces and broad border authorities of U.S. Customs, U.S. Immigration, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the entire U.S. Border Patrol.