see also: in Press Releases:   U.S. Customs and Border Protection Announces Staggering Arrest Numbers Using New Anti-Terror Technology   U.S. Customs and Border Protection to Protect Sound Recordings and Motion Pictures from Import Pirates   U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agriculture Specialists and USDA Identifiers Prevent Introduction of Fruit Fly at Port of Miami   Statement: Response by Chief David V. Aguilar on the Drowning of Three Undocumented Migrants   CBP Border Patrol Agent Saves Two Human Lives   “Trouble” Shares "Top Dog" Award in the "Paws To Recognize - Salute To Canine World Heroes" ...more on cbp.gov:   Press Releases   Press Officers

contacts for this press release

Washington, DC—U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Italian Customs announced today that the Container Security Initiative is operational at the Port of Naples. Naples is the 26th operational port.

CSI is an initiative to enhance international security from ocean container traffic after the terrorist attacks of September 11th. The initiative between the U.S. and Italy began in June of 2003 at the ports of Genoa and La Spezia, and calls for cooperation between U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Italian Customs. CSI has developed along the guidelines set forth in the Declaration of Principles that was signed in November of 2002 between U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Robert C. Bonner and Italian Customs Director General Mario Andrea Guaiana.

"The primary purpose of CSI is to protect the global trading system and the trade lanes between CSI ports and the U.S. By participating in CSI at the Port of Naples, the government of Italy is helping to make a safer, more secure world trading system," said Commissioner Bonner. "CSI is essential in securing containerized shipping, an indispensable but vulnerable link in the chain of global trade."

Italian Customs Director General Mario Andrea Guaiana said, "The declaration of principles addresses a common objective to enhance the security of ocean container shipments since this form of transport is vulnerable to the terrorist threat. The effective cooperation existing between the U.S and Italy at the ports of Genoa and La Spezia and the positive expertise developed during the year of operation of CSI in Italy are a matter of reference for the expansion to Naples and soon after, the ports of Gioia Tauro and Livorno."

Director General Guaiana added: “Italian Customs and the Guardia di Finanza recently entered into an operational protocol accord to jointly achieve better preventive analysis in the Italian ports that are part of CSI. The accord is aimed at identifying high-risk shipments and ultimately combating, in a more effective manner, the international terrorist threat.”

CSI is now operational in 26 ports in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America. The operational ports include: Halifax, Montreal, and Vancouver, Canada; Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Le Havre, France; Bremerhaven and Hamburg, Germany; Antwerp, Belgium; Singapore; Yokohama, Tokyo, Nagoya and Kobe, Japan; Hong Kong; Göteborg, Sweden; Felixstowe, United Kingdom; Genoa and La Spezia, and Naples, Italy; Busan, Korea; Durban, South Africa; Port Klang and Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia; Piraeus, Greece; Algeciras, Spain; Laem Chabang, Thailand.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control, and protection of our Nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.