Security Seminar & Expo Set For Boston

Boston Harbor will be the location for American Association of Port Authorities' (AAPA) 11th Port Security Seminar and Exhibition, July 18-20. The annual event will focus on practices and challenges faced by the port industry, giving participants further insight into one of the most critical issues affecting ports today. The seminar will also feature an exhibition area for vendors to showcase the latest in port security goods and services.

One of the topics to be discussed will be implementation of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC), a new United States Department of Homeland Security program that requires criminal background checks, security threat assessments and purchase of a biometric photo ID card for those requiring unescorted access to U.S. maritime facilities, such as port employees, longshore workers, truck drivers and a host of others. According to DHS, successful implementation of TWIC will be a significant step in decreasing the risk of terrorism, cargo theft and other crimes within secure portions of U.S. maritime facilities. In addition to presentations on TWIC, seminar attendees will learn about the Port of Boston's seaport security structure and its relation to law enforcement throughout the city. In another session, representatives from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will discuss methods that smugglers (of both drugs and people) use in the commercial vessel environment.

Following that, a panel comprising representatives of the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Lockheed Martin Corp. will discuss new container screening requirements and post-incident business resumption protocols with regard to the SAFE Port Act of 2006, which Congress passed last October. In addition to port facility security, cargo and vessel security will be topics of discussion. Representatives from three major ocean carriers - K Line America, APL Limited and Maersk Sealand - will provide their perspective on vessel security challenges, while another panel of port and private-sector security experts will discuss new innovations in waterside surveillance systems. Another panel will focus on security partnerships between ports and their surrounding regions. The seminar will conclude with a half-day workshop to help participants successfully manage funds they receive through the Port Security Grant program, which is the only program