US to screen Rotterdam shipments

The US wants to establish more port controls in Europe

By Geraldine Coughlan BBC correspondent in The Hague

The Netherlands and the United States have signed an agreement which allows US customs inspectors to be stationed for the first time at Rotterdam, the world's biggest port.

Port security is being stepped up following the 11 September attacks

The US officials will screen cargo containers being shipped to the US in an effort to prevent terrorists from smuggling nuclear and other weapons into the country.

Under the Container Security Initiatives (CSI), the US Government has already negotiated similar deals with Canada and Singapore.

But this is the first CSI agreement in Europe, and it aims specifically to improve cargo security at the world's ports in the wake of the 11 September attacks in New York and Washington DC.

Pilot project

Around six million cargo containers enter US sea ports each year and the US customs service wants to ensure that terrorists do not use them to smuggle either themselves or their weapons into the country.

Around 300,000 containers are shipped to the US via Rotterdam each year.

Customs officers cannot inspect all of these without causing delays and hindering trade.

Therefore, as part of a six-month pilot project, five US inspectors will assist Dutch officials in Rotterdam to analyse and screen the high-risk containers.

Those considered safe will be sealed to pass quickly through US customs.

The US is seeking to establish more port controls in Europe under the CSI and later this week, France and Belgium may agree to allow US customs inspectors to be stationed at the sea ports of Le Havre and Antwerp.