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| Container Security |
Before the events of 9/11, ports were concerned mainly with theft, vandalism, or accidents.
Now, the worry is the potential threat of terrorism and it puts a different slant on the whole concept of security.
The maritime trade is an economic linchpin for the United States, and consequently protecting this infrastructure is critically important.
The terrorist attacks on New York and Washington on Sept. 11 2001, shocked ever the world, but they conveyed a special message to those charged with protecting the American ports- it was time to raise the bar, significantly. |
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US Economy |
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Between 1990 and 2003, the value of maritime trade to the U.S. economy ballooned from $434 billion to $800 billion.
In one sense, these figures reflected the country's growing trade imbalance. It also meant that more high-value cargo was crossing U.S. borders than ever before.
The rising importance of ports, however, presents authorities with a particular challenge when it comes to tightening their security measures.
Over the last few years, ports have struggled to protect their assets without disrupting commerce, resulting in severe economic consequences.
Ports need to be protected carefully because they are so valuable.
Those responsible for security must also be vigilant as there can be a tendency to confuse devices designed for inventory with those meant for security. Although some devices can serve both purposes, they should be evaluated separately for each application. |
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RF identification tags are often publicised by some officials as security devices, but they are not effective security devices.
RFID identification tags, tamper-indicating seals are used to detect unauthorised access or tampering.
They show evidence of tampering after the event. They must be inspected, either electronically or manually, to determine if unauthorized access has taken place.
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The best high security seal must be extremely difficult to tamper with mechanically, and impossible to tamper with electronically.
Any attempt to open or tamper with the seal should leave a trace on the electronic system, alerting of the time or day the tampering attempt was made.
It should be activated upon closing and deactivated only upon it being reopened or if an unauthorised attempt is made to open it.
In any event Port Security is extremely important.
The process of port security is a combination of screening at foreign ports, tracking incoming vessels to U.S. ports, and implementing surveillance measures that include gates, guards, cameras, and access control. |
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An extremely broad security program would need to be implemented in order to address the many different areas of concern.
A key factor Ports must ask themselves is what exactly they are trying to accomplish in order to decide where funding should be spent. Unfortunately they are not going to see a world of zero risk at any level of investment.
Port Authorities have always been alert to counter act sabotages and theft, but now their principle concerns are addressing the issues of terrorism.
However in terms of risk assessment, the fundamental tools which are needed to address such issues are largely the same. |
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In order to assess the risk of randomly occurring illegal events its essential to look at their frequency and consequences.
Security is viewed in terms of threat, vulnerability, and consequence. Threat is the potential frequency of attack; vulnerability is the likelihood of success if an attempt is made; and consequence is the damage of the attack—to human safety,economy, and freedom.
The focus of security risk assessment lies not only with the potential initial damage, but with long-term solutions as well. If security is broken down it has an immense impact on the supply chain, and consequently a broader impact for companies and regions of the country.
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A constant issue for ports is trying to keep the supply chain operating while providing security.
Sometimes, a well-tailored system of countermeasures can be better than one piece of super-technology.
A multi-layered approach of even low technology may be more of a deterrent, because complex technology can be perceived as being unreliable in some security situations.
Although difficult, it’s necessary to measure the level of deterrence effective technologies provide.
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The attacks of 9/11 forced U.S. ports to confront security in an entirely new light, and in many ways ports are struggling with the best way to effectively handle it.
Generally, with regards to security regulations development and compliance, progress has been pretty good, in that there have not been significant adverse impacts on productivity.
The latest product from LEGHORN ITALY is a barrier seal which mechanically blocks the opening of the doors and at the same time the electronic component monitors the operator that applies the seal.
This swift security system is the best solution on the market when it comes to container security. |
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