2006 Press Releases
U.S. Pre-Clearance facility to continue operations on Grand Bahama
October 3, 2006
U.S. Ambassador John Rood and Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Public Service The Honorable Fred Mitchell announced today that The United States Customs and Border Control will continue its pre-clearance operation at the Grand Bahama International Airport. Pre-clearance allows travelers bound for the United States to clear U.S. Customs in Freeport. Pre-clearance currently operates at the Grand Bahama International Airport and the Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau.
The Ambassador and Foreign Minister also toured the Freeport Container Port, viewing operations of the recently enacted Megaports Program and the Container Security Agreement (CSI). The Megaports Program uses specialized equipment to scan seagoing cargo containers for suspicious radioactive materials. Under CSI, United States Customs officials review container manifests and screen suspicious containers for weapons of mass destruction. Both of these programs provide incentives for shippers to use the Freeport Container Port, since containers clearing this port will quickly enter the United States without requiring additional screening.
Preclearance, Megaports, and CSI reflect the close and ongoing security cooperation between the United States and The Bahamas. Freeport will be the fiftieth port to join CSI, when it becomes operational in the next few weeks. Freeport is one of six ports where Megaports is operational. More than twenty other ports are in the process of implementing Megaports, including Jamaica, which had representatives from its Customs Agency in Freeport this morning to view the operations of Megaports in The Bahamas. The cutting-edge equipment being used here makes Freeport a model that other ports are already seeking to emulate.