DHS Delays 100 Percent Scanning Deadline Again
The Department of Homeland Security notified Congress on May 2 that DHS needs to delay again a deadline for implementing 100 percent scanning of incoming maritime cargo containers, said a DHS spokesman. The two-year "extension is necessary to continue work on achieving the requirement of '100 percent overseas scanning' established by the Security and Accountability for Every (SAFE) Port Act of 2006," he said. While the law mandates that all U.S. bound containers are "scanned by radiation detecting equipment and non-intrusive imaging systems at foreign ports prior to the cargo being loaded onto a vessel," he said. The law also allows DHS is able to push back deadlines for the requirement by two years as needed, which it has several times, most recently in 2014 (see 14060233).
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
The department is also looking for outside help, said the spokesman. "As part of this effort, DHS issued a call for information, recommendations, or proposed solutions for the Department and its external stakeholders to achieve the requirement," the spokesman said. "Specifically, the Request for Information (RFI) is an opportunity for interested parties to provide input on new strategies for reducing the risk of radiological and nuclear threat leaving a foreign port of departure via maritime cargo." It will be important to "leverage the expertise and resources of industry stakeholders and our international partners, and collectively, determine the best ways to improve the security of U.S.-bound containerized and non-containerized cargo," he said.