19 October (Lloyd's List) - THE European Commission is launching what it bills as a European Ports Alliance, as part of a four-part strategy to tackle drug trafficking and organised crime networks in the EU.

Other measures include stepping up financial and digital investigations, sharing best practice and guidance between member states, and reinforcing information exchange and joint operations with international partners.

The ports scheme is likely to include common risk criteria and priorities for customs control throughout the EU, with some €200m ($211m) made available to fund container scanning equipment.

Such a move is likely to prove unpopular with liners, which have to bear the additional costs entailed by delays for checking.

Even big reputable companies can inadvertently find themselves carrying contraband cargoes, with the Netherlands public prosecutor revealing in August that eight tonnes of cocaine was found on an unnamed Maersk vessel in Rotterdam.

Mediterranean Shipping Company was also caught out in 2019, when 18 tonnes of cocaine was discovered on its ship MSC Gayane.

Insurers such as marine mutual TT Club have warned that that increasing complexity of supply chains makes it easier for traffickers to conceal and transport contraband.

The EU initiative will also see greater emphasis on implementing existing rules, including vetting new recruits and existing employees to prevent infiltration by criminal networks.

The EC argues that the trade in illicit narcotics is one of the most significant security threats faced by the EU today, with Europe having overtaken the US as the world’s largest cocaine market.

Seizures of cocaine have hit record levels, reaching 303 tonnes in 2021 alone, with Antwerp alone accounting for around a third of that.

Meanwhile, the activities of criminal networks have evolved in their scale, sophistication, and violent consequences. As a result, there is a constant need to adapt and complement the collective response.

In response, the EC has started a review and will make a report with best practices in 2023 and propose European Council recommendations in early 2024.

Paolo Gentiloni, commissioner for economy, said that customs are on the frontline of the EU’s efforts against trafficking. Proposals to bring the EU customs union under a common customs authority will allow greater control of imports, including illegal drugs.

“In the meantime, we need to ramp up co-operation and information sharing between officials on the ground at entry points to the EU.... That’s where the European Ports Alliance can have real added value.”