(Journal of Commerce) Customs and Border Protection has issued a set of draft standards for ocean carriers to participate in the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism. The draft follows similar standards for importers that
the agency issued previously.
Program director Robert Perez, in an e-mail on Friday asked participants' help in developing the new standards, but added that Customs only wants responses from parties that
originally received the agency's message.
Other parties may add comments through one of the original recipients of the message.
As with the importer draft standards, Customs said the carrier standards
should be followed on a case-by-case basis, depending on the company's size and structure.
"Developing new supply chain security standards while maintaining flexibility is critical to the C-TPAT program,
since one size does not fit all," Perez said.
The proposed standards are very similar to ones for importers. Carriers must:
. Secure their vessels in port, and must conduct systematic searches on
departure from a foreign port, and arrival at a U.S. port.
. Verify the physical integrity of containers, and store them in secure areas.
. Lock containers with an acceptable high-security seal, and verify
that seals have not been compromised. Carriers also must keep records of seal changes.
. Verify the security procedures of business partners.
. Ensure that handling and storage areas in foreign and
domestic ports have physical security, including fences, alarms, video surveillance and access control.
. Have procedures for security-screening of crew and passengers, and perform background checks on employees.
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