NCJ Number
202195
Date Published
2003
Length
25 pages
Annotation
The product of an international workshop on the safety and security of the maritime system, with a focus on container security, this report identifies terrorist threats to maritime and container commerce and offers recommendations on how they may be countered.
Abstract
Although unable to reach a consensus on the magnitude of the terrorist threat to container shipping, the workshop participants agreed that the flow of containers is vulnerable to terrorist actions, since the transport chain for containers is fragmented and involves many different organizations, thus making the chain "leaky" and vulnerable to penetration while making it difficult to implement standardized security measures. Workshop participants advised that solutions should address the complete logistics chain, should incorporate some form of risk analysis, and should make use of the latest available technology (e.g., electronic seals, positioning technology, sensors, etc.). Further, an effort should be made through international cooperation to increase awareness, in both governmental offices and private companies, about the need to improve security against potential threats. Another priority identified by the workshop is having timely and reliable information about containers and their contents. Steps to standardize and digitize information are important in this endeavor. Also, there should be efforts to provide a clear definition of the possible threats and the likelihood of their occurrence. In addition, the workshop recommended the creation of a single European body to deal with port and maritime security. Other recommendations pertain to the standardization of container seals using advanced electronic container integrity systems, as well as features in the performance of risk analysis. Appended list of workshop attendees and the workshop agenda