Senator Murray Marks the Start of Operation Safe Commerce

The security of international containerized shipping took a step forward today, as U.S. Senator Patty Murray (Wash.) marked the start of Operation Safe Commerce (OSC).

As Murray spoke to an audience inside a Port of Tacoma warehouse, several container ships were crossing the Pacific with the first of hundreds of OSC "test" containers. The federally funded, industry-led program is designed to test and evaluate technologies and define best practices. Ultimately, the program will create the knowledge base for future international standards for secure containerized shipment - from the overseas point of origin through the supply chain to the U.S. point of distribution.

The first shipping containers to enter the United States as a part of Operation Safe Commerce (OSC) will touch the shores of Puget Sound on March 25. These containers, carrying consumer electronics from Malaysia, will be discharged at the Port of Tacoma, where they will be trucked to Target distribution centers in Auburn and Lacey, Washington. Arriving within a couple of days, a second test will deliver a container of industrial machinery from Japan. Upon arrival at the Port of Tacoma, it will be sent via rail to the Upper Midwest. This is the beginning of a steady stream of approximately 550 containers that will arrive by late summer at the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma with electronics, consumer goods, foodstuffs, coffee, clothing and hardware from Germany, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia, Guatemala, China and Hong Kong.

The Port of Seattle and Port of Tacoma are partners in nine supply chain projects funded by $27.5 million jointly awarded by the Transportation Security Administration. The first OSC containers bound for the Port of Seattle are expected to arrive in mid-April.

"Ninety-five percent of world trade is on ocean-going ships. How do we secure world trade without compromising the inherent efficiencies that assure us reliable and competitively priced goods on our store shelves? That question is being answered by the maritime industry and federal government with Operation Safe Commerce," said Timothy J. Farrell, Port of Tacoma Deputy Executive Director. "From the overseas point of origin to the point of distribution in the United States, Operation Safe Commerce is evaluating how the goods we bring into our home are shipped. It is a testing process that will ultimately form a base of knowledge to create standards for safe, reliable and efficient international trade."

"We are pleased to have reached this critical milestone in the effort to improve the safety, security and efficiency of maritime commerce," said Charles Sheldon, Managing Director, Port of Seattle. "These demonstration projects show that with commitment from key elected officials, such as Senator Patty Murray, and in partnership with the private sector, innovative ideas can flourish."

The Port of Tacoma and Port of Seattle are uniquely positioned to lead Operation Safe Commerce due to their relationships with labor, shippers, steamship lines, terminal operators, railroads, trucking firms, brokers and freight forwarders, as well as federal agencies, such as the Transportation Security Administration, Bureau of Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Managed by Pinkerton Consulting & Investigations under contract to the Port of Seattle and Port of Tacoma, the Puget Sound OSC projects and evaluations are expected to be completed by October. The security policies, procedures, practices and technologies that prove successful will be recommended for implementation on a wider scale.