CBP Agriculture Specialists Battle to Defend the Border in Baltimore
May 3, 2018
BALTIMORE – U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Area Port of Baltimore encompasses a geographic range of approximately 115 miles along the Maryland coast, from Martin State Airport north of the Baltimore Seaport along the Chesapeake Bay to Annapolis. In addition, there are hundreds of small vessel marinas within the reporting area. Although the Port of Baltimore is not known as one of the larger agriculture Ports of Entry, CBP agriculture specialists regularly discover a large variety of potentially damaging pests here.
Commercially, the Baltimore harbor serves more than 70 ocean carriers whose vessels make nearly 2,000 annual port visits. Along the port’s 45-mile-long shoreline are a multitude of modern public and private cargo terminals which handle everything from bulk raw materials, to finished goods. In 2017, the Port handled 38.4 million tons of general cargo, the third highest amount in its history, with a value of $53.9 billion. This includes a record-setting 10.7 million tons of cargo, which was handled by the port's public terminals, up from 10.1 million tons in 2016.
The port's public terminals had a strong year in 2017. The port ranked first in the nation in handling automobiles, light trucks, farm and construction machinery, as well as imported sugar. In 2017, the port handled a record 807,194 autos and light trucks, the most of any U.S. port for the seventh consecutive year, and the first time passing the 800,000 mark.
That’s a lot of commodities passing through the port. CBP’s mission is to ensure that all import and export commodities comply with applicable U.S. laws and regulations, and pose no threat, including to U.S. agriculture resources. CBP collaborates extensively with industry partners, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), importers, shippers, terminal operators, shipping lines, and Customs brokers to continuously develop innovative methods to efficiently clear cargo and review thousands of import permits, foreign government certifications, and invoices in order to ensure that products meet import requirements.
To ensure timely flow of international trade, CBP agriculture specialists rely on risk-based threat analysis to identify cargo for inspection. If CBP officers believe cargo shipments warrant a more intensive examination, containers are sent to a centralized examination area. There, agriculture specialists inspect shipments from various countries and use many techniques to target commodities from countries where these pests originate. Shipment origination points and history of prior inspections are of paramount importance when targeting and inspecting perishable shipments.
CBP’s Area Port of Baltimore has completed 3,534 such container inspections since January 2018, and agriculture specialists have issued 360 emergency action notifications and executed 625 actionable interceptions.
www.cbp.gov
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