Shoreside safety inspections

Captains,

Shipboard inspections are familiar to most mariners, but when it comes to containerized cargo, USCG conducts compliance inspections road-side. Multi-agency truck inspections are effective for both maritime and highway safety.

RADM W

NORFOLK, Va. – The Coast Guard, along with other federal, state and local agencies, conducted a joint operation at Hampton Roads port facilities Tuesday and Wednesday.

Inspections were conducted at the Norfolk International Terminal, AP Moller-Maersk facility and Portsmouth Marine Terminal. Similar joint operations were simultaneously conducted at the Maryland Port Administration's Seagirt and Dundalk Marine Terminals.

Agencies that took part in the Hampton Roads operation included: The Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, National Cargo Bureau, Virginia International Terminal Port Police VPA, Virginia Emergency Management division, Hampton Police Department, Chesapeake Police Department, Norfolk Police Department and the Norfolk Fire Department and HAZMAT team.

The operation involved the inspection of trucks as they entered and left the marine terminals with shipments from both domestic and international locations. Inspections included verifying proper truck and container documentation, structural integrity of shipping containers, licensing, customs and fuel tax compliance and hazardous material markings, packaging and segregation.