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JAPANESE PORTS SIGN ON TO CSI PROGRAM

WASHINGTON, DC - Officers of the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) division of the US Department of Homeland Security have been deployed to the Japanese ports of Kobe and Nagoya as part of the international Container Security Initiative (CSI) program. 

The program, launched by the former US Customs Service in January 2002, was created to prevent the smuggling of terrorist weapons in ocean-going cargo containers.

Eighteen countries have established agreements with the US under the CSI program. Japan and the US sealed a CSI declaration of principles in September 2002.
 
Nagoya and Kobe are the 22nd and 23rd ports worldwide to become operational under the initiative. In Japan, they join the ports of Yokohama, where CSI operations began in March 2003, and Tokyo, which became operational in May 2004.
 
A reciprocal program, CSI also authorizes participating countries to station their customs officers at US seaports to screen cargo that is exported to their countries via ocean-going containers.

Japan is the second CSI partner country to take advantage of this provision, according to the CBP. Japanese Customs officers are working at the port of Los Angeles/Long Beach, while Canada has Customs personnel stationed at the ports of Newark and Seattle.

INVESTMENT PLANNED FOR NEW HK AIR CARGO TERMINAL
 
HONG KONG - Asia Airfreight Terminal (AAT), Hong Kong's second-biggest air-cargo firm, is investing $226 million in a new terminal at the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) to cater to fast-growing trade flowing through the region's leading aviation hub.
 
The four-story terminal, to be completed by December 2006, will triple AAT's current annual design capacity to 1.5 million tons amid bullish forecasts that Hong Kong's air cargo traffic is expected to grow by as much as 6% this year.

HKIA handled 55,210 tons of express cargo in the first quarter of this year, up 23% from the same period in 2003.

Air cargo currently accounts for almost 30% of Hong Kong's total trade value. Last year, HKIA handled 2.64 million ton of air cargo, up 6.6% compared with 2002.

NEW CALIFORNIA BULK LIQUID MARINE TERMINAL STUDIED

HOUSTON - Industrialinfo.com has reportedly completed a feasibility study commissioned by Long Beach-based Pacific Energy Partners LP for the development of a new deepwater bulk liquid terminal to handle crude oil and feed stocks in Southern California.
 
For details on this project view, visit  www.industrialinfo.com.

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