US-bound cargo under official lens at JNPT

US-bound cargo from Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) would be opened for scrutiny by American officials under the Container Security Initiative (CSI) that India is preparing to join.

US Customs officials would be stationed at JNPT for screening cargo bound for the US under the multinational programme for monitoring and disrupting supplies of dangerous items before they can reach the shores of a participating country, sources said.

Though the programme is operated on a reciprocal basis, no American port has so far been identified for scrutiny by Indian customs officials, they said. Washington has conveyed its readiness to have Indian officials at any port that may be identified through mutual consultations, the sources said.

The Cabinet is expected to give its nod next week to India's participation in the initiative that is aimed at disrupting supplies that could pose a security threat.

Conceptualised after the September 2001 terror attacks in the US, CSI is designed to safeguard global maritime trade while allowing cargo containers to move faster through the supply chain at seaports worldwide. It is designed to prevent containerised shipping from being exploited by terrorists.