Marine Log - November 2007 - (Page 61) BY NICK BLENKEY CARGOSECURITY THINKING OUT WHAT’S INSIDE THE BOX ” Michael Chertoff, Secretary of Homeland Security develop a global framework for container security. The report, “Maritime Security One Year Later: A Progress Report on the SAFE Port Act,” says several container security programs have been established and matured, but continue to face technical and management challenges in implementation. The programs include the Automated Targeting System (ATS) developed by CBP as a decision support tool to assess the risks of individual cargo containers. ATS is a complex mathematical model using weighted rules to assign a risk score to each arriving shipment based on shipping information (e.g., manifests, bills of lading, and entry data). “Although the program has faced quality assurance challenges from its inception,” says the GAO report, “CBP has made significant progress in addressing these challenges. CBP’s in-bond program does not collect detailed information at the U.S. port of arrival that could aid in identifying cargo posing a security risk and promote the effective use of inspection resources. In the past, CSI has lacked sufficient staff to meet program requirements. C-TPAT has faced challenges with validation quality and management in the past, in part due to its rapid growth. The Department of Energy’s (DOE) mass destruction. And at the very top of the scale is a nuclear device or a radiological device. “ The single biggest threat we worry about, in terms of protecting this country and securing the homeland, is the threat of a weapon of M any security gurus are concerned that the easiest way for terrorists to introduce a nuclear device into the U.S. is in a shipping container. What has them worried is the sheer volume of container traffic, and the fact that the economics of world trade mean those boxes have to be sped on their way with the least possible disruption to their flow. There are around 20 million containers in circulation around the globe, and about seven million of them enter the U.S. every year. “Twenty one thousand containers enter U.S. ports every day. And we are still physically inspecting just five or six percent of them,” noted Senator Joseph Lieberman at a recent hearing. In fact, the U.S. has been doing a tad better lately at determining what went into those boxes before they went on board ship. It’s doing less well on ensuring that, once screened, boxes are not tampered with. CONTAINER SECURITY INITIATIVES A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report finds that federal programs related to the security of cargo containers have improved as agencies are enhancing systems to identify high-risk cargo, expanding partnerships with other countries to screen containers before they depart for the United States, and working with international organizations to U.S. CONTAINER SECURITY PROGRAMS CHECKLIST Automated Targeting System Risk-based decision-making system used to determine what contanerized cargo requires inspection. Customs In-Bond System The in-bond system allows goods to transit the United States without officially entering U.S. commerce. Container Security Initiative Stationing CBP Officers at foreign ports to help identify and inspect high-risk cargo to be shipped in containers destined for the U.S. Customs-Trade Partnership Partnership between private companies and CBP to improve international supply chain Against Terrorism security. Promoting Global Standards Efforts to work with members of the customs and trade community on approaches to standardizing supply chain security. Domestic Nuclear Detection Office Research, development, testing and evaluation of radiation detection equipment to prevent nuclear or radiological materials from entering the U.S. Megaports Initiative Radiation detection technology at foreign ports to stop the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Secure Freight Initiative Combines Container Security Initiative scanning with Megaports Initiative radiation detection at foreign ports. 100 Percent Container Scanning Scanning by noninstrusive imaging and radiation detection equipment of all cargo containers at foreign ports ibound to the U.S. by 2012. Source: GAO www.marinelog.com NOVEMBER 2007 MARINE LOG 61 http://www.marinelog.com
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