New anti-terrorism technology was delivered to the waterfront recently and displayed at the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore. The U. S. Customs and Border Protection, an agency of the Department of Homeland Security, announced the deployment of a radiation portal monitor that “reads” radioactive sources.
RPMs are capable of detecting various types of radiation from nuclear materials, natural sources and isotopes used in medicine and industry. Trucks and other conveyances are passively screened by non-intrusive means. Cargo exits the port unaffected by the procedure unless radiation is detected.
Baltimore?s port is one of only six U.S. ports to deploy the new technology. Two sets of RPMs are scheduled for service in October at Seagirt Marine Terminal and two sets will deliver February 2007 at the Dundalk terminal.
RPM technology will be a protective screen from smuggled terrorism in the port; albeit not the only one. “Radiation Portal Monitors are a key component of our layered defense. These systems introduce a new level of flexibility and effectiveness,” Commissioner W. Ralph Basham, of the CBP, said in a statement. “As impressive as this technology is here in Baltimore, it?s not the magic answer.” Intelligence gathering and analysis, aligned with partnerships within the trading community are other components of a layered defense, Basham said.
In the United States, the CBP uses risk-based analysis and intelligence to examine 100 percent of suspicious containers. Remaining cargo is inspected and cleared for U. S. entry. Overseas, shipping companies are required to provide manifest data 24 hours in advance of all cargo containers destined for the United States.
Eleven million cargo containers arrive and are offloaded each year at U. S. seaports, according to government statistics. Safeguarding the commercial environment at all U.S. seaports is an industry priority. Locating funds necessary to support the security mandate is ongoing. According to the states? port administration, more than $21 million dollars has been committed to port security since Sept. 11.
A longtime export analyst and consultant, Joseph R. Hughes? maritime-related articles have appeared in numerous publications. He is a native Baltimorean. E-mail your questions to him at [email protected].
