European Regional Workshop on the Megaports Initiative

Welcome to the European Regional Workshop on the Megaports Initiative!

Established in 2003, the Megaports Initiative is a key nonproliferation program of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA). The goal of the Megaports Initiative is to strengthen the capability of foreign governments to deter, detect, and interdict illicit trafficking in nuclear and other radioactive materials through the global maritime shipping system. The Megaports Initiative achieves this goal by providing radiation detection equipment, training, and technical support to key international seaports to scan cargo containers for nuclear and other radioactive materials. Around the world, the Megaports Initiative is currently operational in thirty four ports and work is underway at over fifteen additional ports in Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

As the number of countries participating in the Megaports Initiative around the world has grown, DOE/NNSA has begun sponsoring Regional Workshops. These workshops are designed to bring together our partners so that they can share experiences and lessons learned and to discuss ways to improve maritime security and reduce the threat of illicit trafficking in special nuclear and other radioactive materials. These workshops also enable potential partners to learn about the Megaports Initiative and the experiences of those who are currently participating in the Initiative.

DOE/NNSA and the Government of Portugal, in coordination with the U.S. Embassy in Lisbon, are co-sponsoring the third Megaports Regional Workshop in Lisbon, Portugal from March 21-25, 2011.The theme of this workshop will be “Moving toward Long-Term Sustainability of the Megaports Initiative and Enhancing Regional and International Cooperation on Maritime Security.” To explore this theme, the workshop will be divided into plenary and break-out sessions. The plenary sessions are expected to include presentations from DOE, several international organizations, and all current partner countries. The break-out sessions will focus on sustainability topics, the role of container scanning within the Customs mission, and real detections and response procedures. The workshop will also include a visit to the premier Port of Lisbon to observe the Megaports operations at a major international seaport.

Attendance and participation is expected from current and prospective partner countries in Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.

Attendance and participation is also expected from international organizations, including the International Atomic Energy Agency, World Customs Organization, European Commission, Joint Research Center at Ispra, and the EU Border Monitoring Working Group. Representatives from the United States will include experts from State Department, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Energy (DOE), and the U.S Embassy in Lisbon.