U.S. Port Security Briefing

Since September 11, 2001, U.S. ports and their stakeholders have spent millions of dollars and undertaken extensive initiatives to enhance and strengthen security. Ports, states, local agencies, private companies and the Federal government have been involved.

Ports work in partnership with local, state and Federal government agencies like the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Customs Service to protect our water borders. The Federal government is responsible for overall safety of vessels, and the handling and storage of certain cargoes. It also approves passage of people and cargo across maritime international borders. Port authorities and marine terminal operators are responsible for the landside and dock security of the facility itself.

In addition to the Coast Guard and Customs, FBI is the lead agency in any terrorist incident. INS/Border Patrol and DEA are other Federal agencies that play a role in seaport security/law enforcement.

The "new normalcy" has led to strengthened partnerships between ports and the Federal agencies responsible for security, and between AAPA and those agencies in Washington, D.C. These partnerships have led to increased communication and cooperation in ways that are ultimately very beneficial to all parties.

As part of the Dept. of Defense and Emergency Appropriations for Recovery from and Response to Terrorist Attacks on the U.S. Act of 2002, Congress appropriated $93.3 million to the Transportation Security Administration for port security grants.

• 51 port security grants were released in June 2002:
  • $78 million to fund enhanced facility and operational security;
  • $5 million for port vulnerability assessments; and
  • $9.3 million for exploration of new technology to improve maritime security.
• Applications for the $93.3 million in port security grants actually totaled almost $700 million, highlighting the need for additional port security funding.
• The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved $100 million for port security grants in the FY '03 Department of Transportation Bill. The House has not yet acted on the bill.

Funding

• The '02 Dept. of Defense and Emergency Appropriations included $209 million for the Coast Guard to make enhancements and conduct vulnerability assessments.
• Another $528 million was included in the FY '02 Supplemental Appropriations bill for the Coast Guard, to cover operating expenses for vulnerability assessments, and acquisition, construction and improvements to buy new equipment and boats. Only part of this, however, will be made available by the President.
• The FY '02 Appropriations bill included a total of $5 billion for Coast Guard.
• The President's FY '03 proposal calls for a $7.149 billion increase (28%) for the Coast Guard.

Vulnerability Assessments

• The Coast Guard has begun to do vulnerability assessments at 55 U.S. ports over a 3-year period. The agency has contracted with TRW to conduct detailed vulnerability assessments of these ports. The first four were expected to begin in August, following initial work to develop methodology and identify standards and best practices.
• After September 11, the Coast Guard conducted limited initial risk assessments at ports with high-risk infrastructure and facilities.

New Initiatives

• The Coast Guard recalled cutters and repositioned them at entrances to such ports as Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and San Francisco. Some continue to be involved in security-related activities.
• The Coast Guard established new guidelines for developing security plans and implementing security measures for cruise passenger vessels and terminals including access controls, security zones, and armed escorts.
• Since 9-11, the Coast Guard has required all vessels to send information on passengers, crew and the type of cargo 96 hours in advance of arrival at U.S. ports. They use this information to determine which vessels should be searched.
• Coast Guard has had several conferences to get input on the best way to regulate the industry. The Coast Guard in the Pacific Area has also issued new guidelines and is developing plans.
• The Coast Guard has formed Marine Safety and Security Teams (MSST) to combat terrorism at ports. They have deployed four teams to date in Seattle, Los Angeles/Long Beach, Houston and Virginia Port Authority. They plan to have 12 MSST at ports around the U.S.

U.S. Customs Service Funding/New Initiatives

The '02 Dept. of Defense and Emergency Appropriations included $393 million for Customs' cargo clearance computer system (ACE).

Cargo Inspection

• Customs plans to deploy 20 new mobile gamma-ray machines to help inspect containers and vehicles. Customs is also adapting its computer-based system for targeting containers for inspection. The system flags suspect shipments for inspection on the basis of an analysis of shipping, intelligence, and law enforcement data, which are also checked against criteria derived from inspectors' expertise.
• Customs initiated a Container Security Initiative (CSI) to prescreen cargo bound for the U.S. Ports that have agreed to participate include: Halifax, Montreal, and Vancouver, Canada; Singapore; Rotterdam; Antwerp, Belgium; Port of Le Havre, France; and Bremerhaven and Hamburg, Germany. The first team of U.S. Customs officers reported for duty at the Port of Rotterdam at the end of August.
• Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, or C-TPAT, is a joint government-business initiative to build cooperative relationships with the trade community to strengthen overall supply chain and border security. Businesses must apply to participate in C-TPAT and must sign and agreement that commits them to several security-related initiatives. AAPA is working directly with Customs on ways to facilitate the C-TPAT program.

Security Measures for Container Freight
(Source: American Shipper, August 2002)

Some examples of new technologies for port security being used or developed:

• Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags keep track of container's location and monitor tampering.
• Electronic seals attached to containers send wireless signals every five seconds through a global locating system.
• Research is being done in the areas of using ultrasound to determine container integrity and acoustic signature technology to define a container's contents.
• X-ray or gamma-ray detectors: Five major companies produce devices. Four make X-ray scanners - American Science and Engineering, L3 Communications Security and Detection Systems, OSI Rapiscan, and Heimann Systems in Germany. The costs for a typical airport checkpoint system is $50,000. Scanners which penetrate steel can cost $2 million and up.
• Only Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) makes gamma-ray scanners. U.S. Customs uses SAIC's Mobile Vehicle and Container Inspection System (VACIS), producing gamma rays from a nuclear source, to scan for drugs, weapons and contraband. The truck-mounted VACIS scanner costs from $900,000 to $1.4 million for commercial customers. The U.S. govt. obtains them at discounts of 25 to 33% off the commercial price.