09.12.06

Cantwell Introduces Port Security Measures to Improve Cargo Screenings at U.S. Ports, Foreign Shipping Centers

Cantwell amendments would test technology to scan cargo containers loaded onto rail cars, boost inspections at ports that ship cargo to U.S.

WASHINGTON, DC – Tuesday, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) introduced two vital amendments to a broad port security package currently under consideration on the Senate floor. The first Cantwell amendment would provide additional resources to boost Coast Guard efforts to inspect security in foreign countries and at their ports that ship cargo to the U.S. Currently, the Coast Guard has only 34 inspectors to review security in the more than 140 countries from which we receive cargo. The second Cantwell amendment would initiate a pilot program to develop and test technologies that can scan cargo for radiation at ports where containers are loaded directly onto rail cars. At present, there is no system in place to scan containers that enter or leave U.S. seaports by rail.

“Failing to address the security gaps at our ports leaves our cities, our citizens, and our entire country at risk,” said Cantwell, the senior Democrat on the Senate Coast Guard Subcommittee. “We need to deliver more resources and develop better technology to bolster security at ports both at home and abroad. We must test new technologies to scan containers loaded onto rail, and we’re devoting far too few resources to making sure the countries we trade with are in compliance with international maritime and port security standards. My provisions, like so many other measures in this important bill, are badly needed improvements that will help close known security gaps that continue to compromise our national security.”

There are only 34 Coast Guard inspectors who review security at foreign ports, and the Coast Guard has only been able to inspect ports in about 59 out of the 140 countries that trade with the U.S. One of the amendments offered Tuesday by Cantwell would authorize the Coast Guard to add the personnel needed to complete the inspection of foreign ports by the end of 2008 and maintain a two-year cycle for re-inspection. Currently, the Coast Guard maintains a re-inspection cycle of 4 to 5 years. According to the Coast Guard, the addition of just 20 to 30 people to the inspection team will allow for the completion of the needed inspections by 2009 and allow for two-year re-inspection rates.

A second amendment offered Tuesday by Cantwell would improve security at ports that load containers directly onto and off of rail cars. Currently, U.S. customs officials do not scan containers that are loaded directly onto rail cars. Cantwell’s amendment would direct the Department of Homeland Security to establish an Intermodal Rail Radiation Detection Test Center at a U.S. port to test technologies that can scan rail containers for radiation. A promising system is currently under development at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland. In late August, Cantwell toured PNNL for a first-hand look at this and other emerging homeland security technologies. PNNL has been working with Customs and Border Protection to test a prototype system to scan rail cars for radioactive materials at U.S. points of entry.

Many container ports and transport companies are moving to on-dock rail systems to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and lessen the environmental impact of using trucks. The Port of Tacoma helped lead the way in this transition as the first port in the U.S. to develop an on-dock intermodal rail yard. Today, approximately 72 percent of the cargo arriving at the Port of Tacoma is transported by rail directly from the terminal area.

On Monday, Cantwell also joined Senator John Kerry (D-MA) in introducing a separate amendment that would establish a port security training program for port workers and emergency personnel to help them prevent, prepare for, and respond to terrorist threats and attacks.

Also included in the bill is language authored by Cantwell to improve security on Washington State Ferries by directing the Departments of Homeland Security and State to work with their Canadian counterparts and ferry operators to develop a plan to inspect passengers and vehicles on each U.S.-bound ferry before the ferry departs from Canada. At present, explosives screenings take place when passengers and vehicles traveling from Canada disembark at ports in the U.S. For example, explosive screenings of passengers and vehicles traveling from Sidney, B.C. to Anacortes, Washington occur in Anacortes, even though ferries stop in Friday Harbor, Washington along the way.

The port security legislation currently under consideration on the Senate floor, introduced by Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and Patty Murray (D-WA) and backed by Cantwell, would improved cargo screening, establish minimum security standards, and take other important steps toward enhancing security at America’s seaports including the authorization of $400 million in grants to improve port security.

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