Secure Port News

Italy will refuse to let a humanitarian boat carrying more than 600 migrants dock at any of its ports and has asked the Mediterranean island of Malta to open its doors to the vessel, an official said on Sunday.Malta said it had nothing to do with the rescue operation, opening the prospect of a diplomatic stand-off between the two European Union allies.The move by Italy's new Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, who is also head of the far-right League, is part of efforts to make good on his electoral promises to halt the flow of migrants into the country.More than 600…

The Port of Hueneme announced that it will receive more than $307,500 in funds from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through the Fiscal Year 2016 Port Security Grant Program (PSGP). The funds will provide multi-functional applications protecting critical port and regional infrastructure from terrorism, enhance maritime domain awareness, improve port-wide maritime security risk management, and maintain or reestablish maritime security mitigation protocols that support port recovery and resiliency as well as enhance the response capabilities of our regional law enforcement partners. Said President of the Board Dr. Manuel Lopez…

Surveyors are usually engaged to investigate the cause, nature and extent of a claim, damage or incident. Their role in managing projects to salvage cargo is less known. Peer van Oosterhout and Ad de Klerk from BMT Surveys share their experiences in salvaging a cargo worth several million Euros from the seabed in the Mediterranean. Recently, BMT Surveys in Rotterdam was approached by a major European-based underwriter, to investigate the possibility of salvaging a high value cargo from a vessel that had sunk in about 100 meters depth of water in the Mediterranean.

Two recent reports have raised alarms about the security of our ports and the cargo that enters them by containers every day. The top North American container ports handle more than 35 million containers per year bringing vital goods to U.S. homes and companies every day. Without this freight, our economy would be at a standstill. But one nuclear device placed into a shipping container could wreak havoc not just at the port it enters, but also with the surrounding population of our busiest ports such as New York/New Jersey, Los Angeles, and Long Beach.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recognizes Westports for its security measures in the loading US-bound containerized maritime cargo. After the 9/11 attacks the United States instituted various initiatives to increase the layers of security, improve monitoring at points of entry, and strengthen information sharing both internally and globally, and the US Dept of Homeland Security is empowered to introduce measures designed to protect Americans from the threat of a terrorist attack. Towards this end, the department has not only tightened up security procedures at the home front, working in collaboration with the U.S.National Nuclear…

AAPA Concerned Federal Budget Cuts May Impact Port Security Progress. Port and industry leaders from throughout the Western Hemisphere will pause on Sunday, Sept. 11, as part of the 100th Annual Convention of the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) in Seattle (Sept. 11-15), to remember those tragically lost in the terrorist attacks on U.S. soil 10 years ago. Among those lost were 84 industry colleagues from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey who perished at the World Trade Center. In the decade since Sept. 11, 2001, America’s seaports and the federal government have joined forces to make major gains in fortifying and hardening port facilities against intruder attack.

Dr. Michael Bruno, Dean of the Schaefer School of Engineering and Science at Stevens Institute of Technology, has been selected as Chairman of the Marine Board, under the auspices of the Transportation Research Board ( TRB ) and the National Research Council (NRC). The Marine Board identifies and responds to critical issues in the area of water transportation, port engineering and management, marine policy, offshore development and operations, naval architecture, and maritime economics.

The American Association of Port Authorities' (AAPA) 12th Port Security Seminar and Exhibition, is being held in , July 16-18. The expo plans to address concerns focusing on the security and safety challenges confronting public seaport agencies and marine terminal operators throughout the . The seminar will also feature a day-long exhibition on July 17 to showcase the latest security trends, technologies and products in the seaport industry. Some of the key topics to be discussed include implementing the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program (including the devices that will eventually "read" the embedded biometrics in TWIC identification cards)…

In 2007, the Port of Houston Authority achieved its eighth consecutive year of record-breaking operating revenue. Year-end numbers project that the PHA increased operating revenue by $24 million, or 14 percent, over the previous year. “We could not have reached this achievement without the leadership of our dedicated port commissioners and port staff, who have remained committed to the business priorities that serve as the benchmark to the measurement of our success,” said PHA Executive Director H. Thomas Kornegay, who gave the presentation at the January 22 Port Commission meeting. The eight system-wide priority areas in which PHA achieved record-breaking success are: economic impact…

The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) will chair the SecurePort Conference in Miami on February 25-27, 2004, sponsored by the Organization of American States.

SecurePort 2004, sponsored by the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Inter-American Committee on Ports (CIP), and chaired by the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD), will be held in Miami, Florida on February 25-27.

Raymond Barberesi, most recently Director of the Office of Ports and Domestic Shipping at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MarAd), retired effective June 26, 2004 after 28 years of Federal service. As a member of the Federal Government’s Senior Executive Service, Barberesi lead major MarAd and Departmental programs including the Marine Transportation System (MTS) initiative, having served as Executive Director of the MTS National Advisory Council for the past three years (www.mtsnac.org). Recognized as the leader of the MTS program at MarAd, Barberesi was instrumental in influencing the comprehensive maritime industry program proposals being advanced at the Department of Transportation under the now familiar title of SEA-21.

Like so many areas of our economy since the terrorist attacks of September 11, the port and maritime areas of the United States are being scrutinized for vulnerability to terrorism. Catastrophic scenarios are all too easy to imagine, and the threats can come from so many directions. To illustrate the complexity of the maritime law enforcement challenge, the Coast Guard Commandant, Admiral James M. "Imagine for a moment the information requirements associated with a hypothetical 6,000 TEU flag-of-convenience container ship with a multi-national crew cobbled together by a hiring agent who works for an Algerian vessel operator who chartered the vessel from a Greek ship owner whose corporate offices are in the Cayman Islands.

Increased funding for port security in H.R. 3983, the "Maritime Transportation Antiterrorism Act of 2002," was passed the House on June 4. The FY '02 supplemental appropriations bills, which the House has passed and the Senate may vote on this week, also include additional port security funds. "Greater resources are critical for continued improvements in security at our nation's ports," said Kurt J. Nagle, president of the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA). "We applaud Congress for recognizing this need, and for its investment in helping to secure port facilities from terrorist attacks. H.R. 3983 authorizes $225 million for Federal grants to help ports enhance seaport security, and allows local flexibility to address terrorism at America's ports.

Seaport security grants totaling $92.3 million announced by Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Norman Mineta on June 17 will help provide urgently needed funding to the nation's port authorities for security enhancements. Ninety-five percent of the nation's overseas trade by volume moves through ports. Since September 11, 2001, ports have invested millions of dollars to improve security at marine terminals. The DOT funding will help a number of them conduct port vulnerability assessments, and continue to improve security measures such as personnel (a recurring annual cost), gate and entry controls, surveillance systems, lighting, X-ray equipment, fencing and radiation detection equipment.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the U.S. Coast Guard will sponsor a port security exercise in Philadelphia to evaluate preparedness, prevention and the ability to respond to a terrorist-related incident. This exercise, beginning Thursday at 8 a.m., will feature participation from the tri-state Philadelphia port community, including public and government agencies, and private industry. The goal of this exercise is to improve the connectivity of various surface transportation modes and enhance current area maritime security plans. Scenarios range from how officials and industry react to an explosion on the Benjamin Franklin Bridge to additional suspicious, terrorist-related activity around the port.

As many as 1 million U.S. seaport and ship workers must undergo background checks and obtain biometric identification cards as part of a federal program aimed at improving maritime security, according to Reuters. The credentials will supplement, rather than replace, the security cards and clearances workers already must have, sowing doubts about the program among shipping companies and port operators, industry officials said at the Maritime Security Council's annual conference in Fort Lauderdale this week. Enrollment in the U.S. Transportation Worker Identification Credential program, called TWIC, is scheduled to open next week at the Port of Wilmington in Delaware and expand to all U.S. seaports by August 2008.

A federal plan to screen port workers could drive up the cost of building and repairing Navy ships while doing nothing to improve security, industry officials say. Under the new system, longshoremen, truckers and other transportation workers who need access to secure port areas will undergo FBI background checks and submit fingerprints that will be embedded on biometric cards. But the federal law mandating the system--officially known as the Transportation Worker Identification Credential--also extends to some shipyards, including Navy shipbuilder Northrop Grumman Newport News, the region's largest private employer with 19,000 workers. Ship repair yard officials are confused about the law: some say their companies fall under the law, others say they do not.

In the nearly five years since 9/11, America’s seaports and the federal government have joined forces to make major gains in fortifying and hardening port facilities against intruder attack. “Public port authorities have made seaport security their top priority since September 11, 2001,” said Kurt Nagle, American Association of Port Authorities’ president and CEO. With the combined efforts of public ports, initiatives of federal agencies within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) such as the U.S. Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), ports are significantly safer now than prior to 9/11, he noted. “Ports are a vital part of our nation’s transportation infrastructure and serve as international borders to nearly all U.S. overseas trade,” said Mr. Nagle.

Adesta LLC, an Omaha, Neb.-based systems integrator, signed a $5.5 million contract with the Maryland Port Administration to design and install a sophisticated security system at the Port of Baltimore. The project will include the installation of a remote video surveillance system as well as enhancements to terminal perimeter security. The expected completion date for the project is fall 2006. The system will provide the Port with total perimeter security and includes a fully scalable communications and electronic security network. The perimeter security measures include closed circuit television, video analytics by VistaScape Security Systems, and force protection for all terminals located at the Port.