Inspectors with several federal and state agencies this week joined forces to enforce hazardous materials shipping requirements and standards in several key Hawai'i ports, the Coast Guard said.

The U.S. Coast Guard helped organized the 2008 Multi-Agency Strike Force Operation at O'ahu, Maui and Big Island harbors. The three-day event ended yesterday.

The operation focused attention on the enforcement of hazardous materials shipping requirements and safety standards for shipping container material condition.

Inspectors from the federal and state Departments of Transportation, Customs and Border Protection, National Cargo Bureau, State of Hawai'i Public Safety and Agriculture departments, and several Coast Guard units joined forces to work with shipping companies and facilities.

Teams on O'ahu inspected 65 hazardous and general cargo containers in Honolulu Harbor and found eight deficiencies. Maui teams inspected nine containers in Kahului Harbor and identified two deficiencies while Big Island teams inspected 23 containers in Kawaihae and Hilo, identifying and correcting two deficiencies.