Port security law hailed in West

Sat., Oct. 14, 2006

Associated Press The Spokesman-Review

Murray began push in 2001

» WASHINGTON – It took five years, but a bill to improve security at ports in Seattle, Tacoma, Portland and across the country is finally law.

» Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., began pushing for the law shortly after the 2001 terrorist attacks, figuring the measure would be enacted within months.

» "I thought the nation would rally 'round, understanding the danger ports face," Murray said, noting that all but a few of the 11 million shipping containers that enter the nation each year are uninspected.

» "That didn't happen," she said Friday, after President Bush signed the so-called SAFE Port Act.

"This has been a long haul," Murray said – one that even now surprises her.

WASHINGTON – West Coast ports that handle much of the nation’s shipped goods – and which are considered prime terrorist targets – praised a law signed Friday that aims to reinforce the safety of the 11 million containers entering the country each year.

President Bush signed the SAFE Port Act that aims to prevent terrorists from smuggling a nuclear bomb or other weapons in cargo containers from overseas.

“Our seaports are a gateway to commerce, a source of opportunity, and a provider of jobs,” Bush said. “Our ports could also be a target of a terrorist attack, and we’re determined to protect them.”

Bush said the new act requires radiation-detection technology at 22 of the nation’s busiest ports by the end of next year. In addition, background checks and credentials will be required for workers at the nation’s 361 ports.

The bill is “a great step forward in enhancing port security,” said Jim McKenna, president and CEO of the Pacific Maritime Association, which represents 75 shipping companies doing business on the West Coast.

He said port security must rely on new technology, and the law authorizes the development of high-tech inspection equipment so customs agents can check cargo containers without having to open them. Pilot programs would be established at three foreign ports to test the technology.

“You need to stop it from ever getting on a ship, from ever getting into the country,” McKenna said.

The Port of Los Angeles already scans some containers for radiation and has a pilot program for worker identification and background checks, spokeswoman Theresa Adams Lopez said.

Coast Guard and other agents also board cruise ships and some cargo vessels for inspection before they arrive in port.

“Definitely it’s something we’re happy about,” she said of the new law.

The adjoining ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are the fifth busiest port complex in the world, handling more than 43 percent of the nation’s cargo containers – about 14.3 million each year.

Arif Ghouse, security director for the Port of Seattle, said the port would be able to detect radiation leakage from any container, as required under the law, by December.

“We’ve been waiting for this for quite a while, so it’s nice to see it’s gone through,” Ghouse said of the act.

According to a Rand Corp. study released in August, a nuclear explosion at the Port of Long Beach could kill 60,000 people immediately, expose 150,000 more to hazardous radiation and cause 10 times more economic loss than the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Congress approved the bill two weeks ago.

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