Security officials from the US will be deployed on duty at India's largest port, the Jawaharlal Nehru Port, which lies across the old harbour in Mumbai. It's among the top ten ports from where the US receives maximum containers.
This will make the port one of the over 30 worldwide to have joined the Container Security Initiative, among the most important post-9/11 counter-terrorism measures started by the Bush Administration. It hopes to stop weapons of mass destruction-nuclear and chemical weapons included-from being slipped into the mainland US through containers.
The programme envisages an exchange of Customs personnel and technology to screen containers at foreign ports before they reach their destinations in the US. Washington is also open to India posting its Customs officials at US ports to satisfy its security concerns.
Among ports that have joined the CSI are Hong Kong, Busan (South Korea), Singapore and even Shanghai while other Asian ports like Dubai, Shenzhen and Colombo are in the queue. Two US teams visited JNPT two weeks ago and discussed security protocols with Indian officials.
A date hasn't been set but an office of the US Department of Homeland Security would be set up at the port. Chairman of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) R Buddhiraja confirmed the impending deployment of US security officers though he did not know the numbers involved.
"At our port we have already installed scanners and other equipment to check the cargo being exported to the US,'' Buddhiraja told The Indian Express. "But in future we will have US men in uniform from agencies like the US Customs checking the containers and planning overall security.'' Buddhiraja said the deployment of US security personnel would result in faster cargo clearances as the procedures would be in line with American requirements.
Anne Grimes, spokesperson for the US Consulate in Mumbai, said the Department of Homeland Security had offices in all ports that are part of CSI. "They (the two US teams that visited JNPT) were here to evaluate current security protocol and help JNPT port officials strengthen their own security protocol,'' said Grimes.
She said that the "Declaration of Principles" would be signed between the US and Indian governments soon. The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust is India's most modern port. The JNPT and its privatised berths at Nhava Sheva International Container Terminal have the fastest turnaround of ships in India.
The port handled 83 ships and 2.33 lakh containers in April 2005. The CSI involves targeting specific containers that pose a risk through specific intelligence and automated information; pre-screening of these containers at port of departure; installing quick detection technology at ports of participant countries; promoting use of tamper-evident containers.
An inter-agency team was in the US in March to finalise Indian participation. The team also went to the port at Baltimore to get first hand information.
While Intelligence agencies and the Customs object to allowing US Customs and Border Patrol personnel being posted at Indian ports, the real concern is from the business community which stands to lose out if India does not join CSI. Soon the US Customs and trade agencies would view ports as CSI-compliant or not. The former will get preference in terms of faster clearance etc.
