Port of Tacoma is a certified member of Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT). It's a government/business coalition committed to security and the flow of international trade.
C-TPAT members are involved in a sustained effort to meet the challenges posed by terrorist threats to the United States and improve the free flow of trade. The Port earned this status in July 2003.
Members must conduct comprehensive self-assessments of their supply chain using the security guidelines developed jointly with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The program was introduced in 2002, in part as a response to the 9/11 attacks.
According to Customs officials, a container imported by a validated C-TPAT member through a secure supply chain may be considered "low risk" and allowed to move efficiently through security. With this program in place, member importers are able to move their cargo more quickly, and Customs officials can focus their attention on suspicious cargo.
Learn more at U.S. Customs and Border Protection online.