Maritime and Ports

Coast Guard looks at threats from non-conatinerized cargo
Break bulk and roll on/roll off cargo present a unique challenge awaiting a solution; cars, cotton bales, and turbine equipment cannot be easily moved through a portal radiation screener; a dirty bomb in a car trunk is just one of the horrifying scenerios
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U.S. Navy, DHS seek proposal for laser weapons
U.S. defense and homeland security agencies want information on building a laser weapon capable of thwarting a demanding range of threats, among them ” Jet Skis, small-boat swarm attacks, rockets, mortars, artillery rounds, shoulder-fired missiles, electro-optic sensors, and soft, unmanned aerial vehicles,” and more
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LoJack enters the cargo security market
Licensing deal with SC-Integrity allows the latter to market products under the LoJack in Transit brand name
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TWIC program bad news harbor trucking industry
Experts expect a large drop-off in truckers when the government begins registering port workers; 25-50 percent are illegal, and few others want these jobs; wages are down, yet demand is high as foreign trade booms
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California creates Maritime Security Council
Comprised of federal, state, and local officials, as well as business and union interests, the council will help coordinate recovery and communications efforts; with $4.5 billion in annual cargo, state is extremely vulnerable to economic disruption
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National retailers applaud SAFE Port Act
Signed into law last week, the final language excludes foreign port screening requirement; retailers feared increased costs without a measurable increase in security; compromise that mandates U.S. port screening welcomed by trade association
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Savi Technology to manage Virginia's cargo tracking services
Company’s SaviTrak RFID technology a growing favorite among port authorities worldwide; open technology platform can process barcodes and EPC-compliant passive and DPS systems
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SAIC announces roll-out of new port radiation detector
News comes at same time Congress demands widespread adoption of such technology; VACIS P 7500 ideal for ports and other infrastructure with limited space; system requires a lane only twenty-seven feet wide
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California ports shortchanged in latest round of port security funding
Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles face a drastic cut, while Oakland and San Francisco are frozen out alltogether; state officials react angrily and question DHS’s allocation process; California sees a history of ill-treatment on security spending issues
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DHS to increase four-fold security funding for New York, New Jersey ports
DHS’s decision three months ago to cut funding to New York City antiterror programs by 40 percent was welcomed by an equal measure of disbelief and outrage (especially when the department explained that its review process found no national monuments or icons in the city); the department will announce today that it is increasing four-fold its support for security programs at the ports of New York and New Jersey
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CBP downgrades importance of container seals; shipping industry relieved
There are two ways to make sure that a freight container arriving at a U.S. port does not contain a nuclear bomb or other destructive cargo: Tamper-seal the container after cargo has been loaded and validated, or scan the contents of the cargo when it arrives at port to see what it contains; DHS has decided to put the cargo-seal rule making on the back burner, for now
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ObjectVideo deploys video analytic software to Port of Texas City
Deal follows on successes with Madrid, Spain and HSARPA, among others; software is able to detect violations of predetermined behavioral rules, allowing fewer employees to cover more ground; video analytics a new but growing field; stronger algorithms will take the industry into the future
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Senate passes port inspection deal; no 100% inspection
The beefed-up port security measure places heavy emphasis on radiation detection at U.S. ports, but Republicans fought off Democrats’ demand to include a mandatory 100% inspection of all U.S.-bound cargo containers; bill also increases funding for rail and land transportation security
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DHS unveils finalists in $1.35 billion nuclear screening contract
DHS has placed three of the usual suspects on the short-list of a $1.35 billion CAARS program to screen for nuclear materials at U.S. seaports and land crossings; the CAARS contracts comes on the heels of $1.16 billion worth of ASP contracts to detect and identify unshielded or lightly shielded nuclear materials
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Lobbyists resist homeland security measures recommended by 9/11 Commission
Farmers fight off ammonium nitrate controls; television station opposes handing over frequency for emergency services; retailers stick to their guns on radiological screening of containers
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