Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Ports Begin Using Secure-Container System to Help U.S. Military Keep Track of Items

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 18 Jan 2003 14:16:39 -0500

Ports Begin Using Secure-Container  System to Help U.S. Military Keep Track of Items

The Associated Press

SEATTLE Jan. 17

Eleven of the world's busiest seaports have started using an electronic container security
system that was developed to help the U.S. military keep track of food, ammunition and
other gear shipped overseas.

The technology, created by Savi Technology of Sunnyvale, Calif., relies on electronic
seals placed on container closures. Using radio signals, the seals can transmit
information about where the container is, what is inside it and whether it has been opened
all crucial in thwarting smugglers or terrorists.

"There has been, up to now, no means of tracking and tracing containers," said John
Meredith, managing director of Hutchison Port Holdings, a subsidiary of the world's
largest port operator, Hutchison-Whampoa Ltd. "This way, you can know that what's said to
be in the box is actually in there."

The system, called Smart and Secure Tradelanes, was expected to be a big topic of
conversation Friday in Seattle, where people involved with ports from shippers to U.S.
customs officials were to meet to discuss security.

So far, the system has been rolled out modestly. About 100 containers equipped with the
seals have been shipped from Hong Kong and Singapore to Seattle, Los Angeles and Long
Beach, Calif., over the past two months. A similar number have been shipped from Europe to
East Coast ports.

Several million cargo containers about 95 percent of U.S. international trade enter the
United States every year through its 361 sea and river ports. Since Sept. 11, many people
have worried that terrorists might use the 40-foot containers to sneak biological weapons
or other arms into the country.

In response, the Coast Guard has begun requiring 96-hour advance notice of arrival of all
vessels heading to U.S. ports and has deployed small, elite marine safety teams to look
into any suspicious activity.

The Customs Service sent gamma-ray technology to ports around the country, including
Seattle and Tacoma, to scan containers. Customs also began searching some incoming vessels
offshore or in foreign ports to be sure they were clean before they even left for the
United States.

Beginning next month, the agency will also require sea carriers to provide details of the
contents of shipping containers 24 hours before the cargo is loaded onto ships at foreign
ports.

The companies that are leading the Smart and Secure Tradelanes program say it helps
accomplish nearly all of that at once. When the containers are closed, an inspector seals
them with an electronic tag placed on the bolt closure and records the contents.

The tags allow government, port or shipping company officials to monitor a container's
whereabouts and determine whether it has been tampered with through a secure Internet
site.

The tags cost $10 to $20 per container, with additional costs for sensors and other
hardware and software. The cost has come down significantly since the technology was
developed in the 1990s. The Pentagon spent $200 million to install the technology in its
bases in 40 countries over the past seven years, said Savi spokesman Mark Nelson.

The ports that have started using the technology are: Hong Kong; Singapore; Seattle;
Tacoma; Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif.; New York; New Jersey; Rotterdam, Netherlands;
Antwerp, Belgium; and Felixstowe, Britain.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030117/ap_wo_en_po/na_gen_us_port_security_1

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