Inspectors from the U.S. Coast Guard teamed up with federal and state agency partners on a recent Multi-Agency Strike Force Operation (MASFO) that bolstered port security at the Port of Honolulu, the agency revealed this week.
About 75 inspectors from the Coast Guard, Department of Agriculture, Customs and Border Protection, Transportation Safety Administration, Honolulu Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Hawaii Department of Transportation, participated in the operation, which took place in August.
The operation targeted containers moving through the port, with an emphasis on “hazardous materials, shipping requirements and shipping container material condition safety standards,” according to USCG.
“The Coast Guard regularly examines containers as they enter port to ensure the cargoes are shipped safely and legally, but a MASFO takes things to another level,” said Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Evan Treanor, the container inspector assigned to the Coast Guard’s Sector Honolulu who organized the operation.
“MASFOs allow us to leverage capabilities from a variety of different agencies,” he added.
The work encompassed the inspection of 83 hazardous and general cargo containers at five locations across Honolulu Harbor, resulting in the detention of nine containers that were improperly shipped because of structural damage, undeclared hazardous materials and other issues.
They also inspected 495 transportation worker credentials and scanned the port for radiation and weapons of mass destruction.
“In Hawaii, so many critical supply chains rely on being able to ship things by container,” said Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Vivian Gonzalez, a container inspector also assigned to the Coast Guard’s Sector Honolulu. “A MASFO helps ensure that the public can rely on these supply chains functioning without interruption.”
