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U.S. - UAE sign first Container Security Initiative in the Middle East
15 December, 2004
On December 12, 2004, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Robert J. Bonner and Sultan Bin Sulayem, Chief Executive Officer of the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation signed a Declaration of Principles that governs the implementation of the Container Security Initiative at seaports in Dubai. The ceremony took place at the Burj al Arab and marks the first time CSI has reached an agreement with a country in the Middle East.
The Container Security Initiative was designed as a response to the threat terrorism poses to international shipping. The primary purpose of CSI is to protect global trade routes and containerized cargo that transit between CSI ports and the United States. Dubai ports are now the 6th largest seaport operation in the world and are the most strategic commercial shipping venture in the Gulf.
CSI uses intelligence and automated information to identify and target containers that pose a risk for terrorism. These containers are pre-screened at the port of departure before they arrive at U.S. ports. Host country Customs officials utilize non-intrusive technology to quickly examine the shipments without causing delays in the movement of cargo. Dubai serves as the 34th port to join the CSI program which continues to expand to additional ports in strategic locations.
Google cache: http://uae.usembassy.gov/uae/news.html
Port of Dubai to Implement the Container Security Initiative and Begin Targeting and Pre-Screening Cargo Destined for U.S.
(Saturday, March 26, 2005)
Washington, D.C. -- The 35th Container Security Initiative (CSI) port becomes operational today at the port of Dubai as announced by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Robert C. Bonner and Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman, Dubai Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, United Arab Emirates (UAE). 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.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Press Release
The U.S. Consulate Dubai reported the following:
On May 11 [2005], the Dubai government and the U.S. government signed a Memorandum of Understanding to implement the Megaports Initiative at Dubai port. The Megaports Initiative is intended to identify and intercept illegal shipments of radioactive material. The sixth-largest port in the world by container traffic, Dubai is the first government in the Middle East to sign the Megaports Initiative.
The agreement will provide Dubai Customs with equipment and materials for the purpose of detecting and interdicting illicit trafficking in nuclear and other radioactive materials. Second, the agreement calls for training of Dubai Customs personnel in the detection of radioactive material and use of the equipment.
In December 2004, Dubai also became the first Middle Eastern government to sign the Container Security Initiative, aimed at protecting global trade lines from being exploited and disrupted by international terrorists.
This is a U.S. Government inter-agency Web site managed by the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, U.S. Department of State
http://www.ds-osac.org/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=29570&print
Dubai ports to install special equipment
Dubai Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation (PCFC) has entered into an agreement with the United States Department of Energy to install special equipment at Dubai Ports to detect and stop hidden shipments of nuclear and other radioactive materials.
The agreement also ensures specialised training for the staff of Dubai Customs and will result in regular exchange of information on radioactive materials between the two parties.
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, executive chairman of the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, signed the major agreement with US Ambassador Michele J. Sison. The agreement is part of the US Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Megaports Initiative, a programme aimed at stopping illicit shipments of nuclear and other radioactive material. Dubai Customs joins efforts currently in place in the Netherlands, Greece, Spain, Sri Lanka, and Belgium. ...
This agreement is in line with the efforts of Dubai Customs to increase the level of safety with regard to the shipment of goods from the ports. The NNSA will also provide training to appropriate law enforcement officials. The specialised radiation detection technology deployed under this programme is based on technologies originally developed by department laboratories as part of overall US government efforts to guard against the proliferation of nuclear and other radioactive materials.
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