CBP to unveil C-TPAT requirements
After four tedious rounds drafting more stringent requirements for importers who participate in the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, U.S. Customs and Border Protection is expected to present its final list of criteria today at a meeting of a key industry advisory group.
The Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations (COAC) will convene for the first meeting in its ninth term today in Washington with 10 newly appointed industry experts on the 20-member panel.
Current and former COAC members said CBP will seek COAC approval for the new baseline standards that have been reworked several times since September.
C-TPAT is an antiterrorism partnership in which companies agree to plug security gaps in their facilities and work with non-U.S.-based suppliers and transport providers to do the same in order to avoid having their containers stopped by Customs for weapons searches.