The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Energy announced Dec. 8 that the first phase of the Secure Freight Initiative, an effort to build upon existing port security measures by enhancing the government’s ability to scan containers for nuclear and radiological materials overseas, will begin in 2007. This first phase will provide lessons and evidence on how new, integrated technology can meld smoothly into the logistics, operations and flow of commerce at each port.
According to the DHS, this initial phase will involve the deployment of a combination of existing technology and nuclear detection devices at six foreign ports: Port Qasim in Pakistan, Puerto Cortes in Honduras, Southampton in the United Kingdom, Port Salalah in Oman, the Port of Singapore, and the Gamman Terminal at Port Busan in Korea. In Port Qasim, Puerto Cortes and Southampton, the deployed scanning equipment will capture data on all containers bound to the U.S. The DHS states that this will fulfill the pilot program requirements set out by Congress in the SAFE Ports Act. The department will go a step further by partnering with the three additional ports, which represent some of the largest container ports in the world, but their size and complexity will require the initial deployment to be limited in scope. Hong Kong, where the U.S. is currently undertaking a project with a port operator to develop and refine its integrated container security architecture pilot test, is also considering participation in the Secure Freight Initiative.
Beginning in early 2007, containers from these six ports will be scanned for radiation and information risk factors before they are allowed to depart for the U.S. Data will be transmitted to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working in overseas ports and to the DHS National Targeting Center. This data will be combined with other available risk assessment information, such as currently required manifest submissions, to improve risk analysis, targeting and scrutiny of high-risk containers. In the event of a detection alarm, both DHS personnel and host country officials will simultaneously receive an alert. All alarms from the radiation detection equipment for any container will be resolved locally, as is currently the case under the DOE’s Megaports Initiative. For containers bound for the U.S., the two agencies will work with host governments to establish protocols that ensure a swift resolution for any alarm, which could include instructing carriers not to load the container until the risk is fully resolved.
The DHS states that it will allocate nearly $30 million to fund the radiography equipment and that the DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration will contribute $30 million to fund the installation of radiation portal monitors. The NNSA will also lead the effort to integrate the data from equipment for use in-country. The DHS will be responsible for installing the necessary communications infrastructure to transmit the data to the U.S.
In other news regarding the security of inbound ocean cargo containers, Colombia signed Dec. 8 a Declaration of Principles to participate in CBP’s Container Security Initiative and the NNSA’s Megaports Initiative. As a result, all maritime cargo destined for the U.S. through the Port of Cartegena will be pre-screened to prevent smuggling of nuclear and other radioactive material.
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