From Page 1 “The shippers have effectively been saying it’s none of our business what’s in their containers. “But now it’s absolutely critical for US-bound cargo, and containers transiting through US ports to other destinations.” Another area in which shippers have been rather lax, this shipowner added, is on putting the correct container seal number on the correct container. “But,” he told FTW, “if it now arrives in the US with the wrong seal number, the container will be detained for inspection.” And if there is any doubt about the container contents - and a suspicion that it could be some form of weaponry - it could very easily be blown up for safety reasons. “Also, the penalty for the shipper could be that - if the US customs consider he has made a false or evasive statement - he will be barred from ever sending any more cargo to the US.” And there is no choice in the matter, he added. “Nobody has any option but to comply.”
