Maritime and Ports

WiFi Wireless to begin selling WFSCT cargo security system
Wireless protocol overcomes security concerns; system offers real-time tracking, temperature monitoring, tamper and explosives detection
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L-3 Communications wins Phase II funding for security container
Company’s Advanced Conatiner Security Device relies on sensors to detect breaches, human cargo; thirty prototypes to be tested
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DHS announces delay in TWIC implementation for maritime and port workers
Problem caused by compliance with FIPS 201 standard; required card-swipe readers vulnerable to saltwater corrosion; delay to last at least six months
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The consequences of one nuclear bomb smuggled into a port in a container
A RAND study says that a 10-kiloton nuclear explosion at the Port of Long Beach could kill 60,000 people instantly, expose 150,000 more to hazardous radiation, and cause ten times more economic loss than the 9/11 terrorist attacks
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Port of Freeport to join CSI
The Port of Freeport gained fame earlier this year when the Bush administration was about to sign an agreement with Hutchison Whampoa to conduct nuclear radiation screening of U.S.-bound cargo - without the presence of U.S. personnel; the post has now joined the CSI program
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Jurisdictional squabbles, looming mid-term elections, scuttle port security measures
Disagreements over jurisdiction and the coming November elections threaten to derail port security legislation; of special interest: The 100 percent container inspection clause passed by an overwhelming vote (421-2) in the House – but it is the only clause in the port safety legislation which is adamantly opposed by every part and every component of the shipping industry
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Savi Networks teams with Georgia's MLIC to track cargo
California company helps Georgia ports and terminals with tracking cargo with their real-time monitoring services
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ExxonMobil Massachusetts fuel depot shut down after illegal aliens found working there
Worries about the safety of super tankers carrying oil at Boston Harbor combine with unease about illegal immigration, as more than a dozen illegal immigrants are arrested while being used at the harbor for clean-up of hazardous material (what is more, the subcontractor also violated the law requiring protective gear to be worn during such operation)
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New container security standard organization created
As cargo container security moves to center stage, there is a need for standards to govern the technology and its implementation; a new consortium of industry heavy-weights aims to do just that
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Kvichak/ Manitowoc partnership in $600 million contract to build new Coast Guard boats
A partnership of two ship builders win a coveted $600 million contract to replace the aging fleet of the U.S. Coast Guard (240 of its boats entered service more than 30 years ago); the new boat design — by a Scottish design company — will allow the boats both to withstand stormy seas and give chase at 50 mph
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URS to design container inspection facility at Port of L.A.
San Francisco company is heading down the PCH to build a container inspection facility on site of the former United States Customs Building on Terminal Island at the Port of Los Angeles; the project may cost upwards of $90 million
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Florida to require 2 IDs to enter state ports
Florida is tired of waiting for TWIC to get going, so it has initiated its own port employee security program in the state’s 14 ports; but now it appears that employees will have to equip themselves with two pieces of ID, costing them nearly $250
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California trucking association supports port security measures
It was unclear for a while whether California trucking association would support background checks on the more 12,000 drivers who come in and out of the sprawling twin ports of Los Anegeles and Long Beach; the trucking association ow say it is for it
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Industry wins initial skirmishes in battle over 100% cargo inspection
Security experts agree on two things: A terorist WMD will likely arrive in the U.S. inside a freight container, and the only solution is 100% container inspection; shipping industry says 100% inspection would hobble commerce, and its friends in Congress have so far managed to prevent inserting this requirement into shipping safety legislation
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Port worker background checks launched
Facing growing impatience in Congress and the port security community with waiting for TWIC, DHS is launching stop-gap measures which have the Coast Guard coordinating background checks for more than 400,000 port employees; when TWIC comes around, the number of people subject to background checks will double
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