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Sealegs unveils new emergency rescue amphibious craft
Crushing demand for the fiberglass ARC forces the company to open a larger factory; at a price of $58,850, Sealegs sees a great opportunity in the American homeland security market
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Canada to require background checks for maritime workers
Marine pilots, seafarers, and security personnel covered by new regulations; Canada to spend C$42 million on new port security endeavors, including surveillance, communications, and perimeter security
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Fiji soldiers steal 600,000 rounds of ammunition from local port
After police are threatened, commissioner fights back against bureaucratic bungling
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Samsung buys a minority share of CommerceGuard
Deal is the company’s first venture into the cargo security market; $15 million deal includes exclusive Asian marketing rights
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RAND puts ferries at the top of the list of emerging terrorist threats
With their wide decks, slow-moving ferries are extremely vulnerable to even the slightest explosions; suicide bombers, mines, and boat-borne IEDs among likely methods of attack; screening ferry crews and increased wharf surveillance are best responses
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EDO to develop very-shallow-water mine-neutralizer system
Defending shallow coastal waters against terrorists who would lay mines in order to disrupt commerce and inflict damage is becoming a big issue for the world navies; the U.S. Navy has its Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program, and a New York company now wins a contract to develop mine sweeping operations in support of the LCS project
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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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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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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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The long view
Calls Grow for U.S. to Counter Chinese Control, Influence in Western Ports
Experts say Washington should consider buying back some ports, offer incentives to allies to decouple from China.