The U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Customs have jointly announced the launch of Operation Safe Commerce (OSC), a program to fund business initiatives designed to enhance security for container cargo
moving throughout the international transportation system.
Operation Safe Commerce will provide a test-bed for new security techniques that have the potential to increase the security of container shipments, according to Jeffrey Shane, associate deputy secretary of Transportation, and Douglas Browning, deputy Customs commissioner.
DOT and Customs will use the program to identify existing vulnerabilities in the supply chain and develop improved methods for ensuring the security of cargo entering and leaving the United States. Those security techniques that prove successful under the program will then be recommended for implementation systemwide.
Congress, through the 2002 Supplemental Appropriations Act, provided $28 million in funding for OSC to improve the security of container shipments through pilot projects involving the United States' three largest container ports of entry. In a Federal Register notice, DOT's Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is proposing to solicit proposals from the ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach, New York/New Jersey and Seattle/Tacoma for projects that include representation from all components of the supply chain, including major and minor ports and their feeder locations, overseas customers and port partners, and the shipping lines serving these locations.
An Executive Steering Committee co-chaired by DOT and Customs will select projects for funding and provide oversight for the program. The committee also includes representatives from TSA, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Departments of State, Justice and Commerce, and the White House Office of Homeland Security.