DHS to require import container seals
Updated 12:58 p.m. ET, Tue Sep 14, 2004
By Peter Tirschwell
The JOURNAL of COMMERCE ONLINE
NEW YORK -- The Department of Homeland Security plans to require the use of non-electronic seals on all marine containers entering the United States.
Asa Hutchison, DHS undersecretary for border and transportation security, made the disclosure at the U.S
Container seals have been adopted as part of the voluntary Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT). Hutchison said DHS will shortly begin the process of requiring the use of high-security container seals.
The move comes after the Maritime Transportation Security Act subcommittee of the Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) this week recommended that DHS adopt a requirement for the use of container seals.
COAC recommended that a seal regulation be implemented within 12 months.
DHS officials said that the technology for electronic container seals -- in which information about the contents or location of the box is contained in electronic form -- has not matured to the point where it can be deployed on a large-scale basis without the risk of a high percentage of errors.
Requiring a seal on every import container "is the right thing to do," said Hutchison. "We are going to pursue that recommendation from the COAC committee."
About 6 million marine containers come into the U.S. (schedules) each year.
Officials said that the non-electronic container seals cost $1 to $25 each and that the cost would be borne by the importer while the responsibility for verifying the seals would be lie with the container line.
DHS will formulate standards for the seals, which will also need to conform with existing ISO standards for high-security container seals.
Peter Tirschwell can be reached at ptirschwell@joc.com.