US extraterritorialises security plan
The US customs authorities are planning to reduce the number of foreign seaports from which loaded containers can be shipped to the US to only ten hubs worldwide. The measures are designed to prevent terrorists from smuggling arms or weapons of mass destruction into the country by sea.
Lobbying is in full swing
"We must expand our perimeter of security away from our national boundaries and towards foreign ports of departure. We must also think in terms of actions that we can undertake with private industry and our foreign partners to prescreen people and goods before they reach the US. The ultimate aim is to allow the Customs more time to react to potential threats — to stop them before they reach us — and to expedite the flow of low risk commerce across our borders." said Robert C. Bonner, Commissioner of Customs at the U S Department of Treasury to the US senate recently. He was referring to the “Port and Maritime Security Act” which was approved by the senate on December 2nd 2001. <
8000 containers per day pass through New York alone. Of the total of several thousand containers that enter the United States every day at most 2% are checked, claim informed sources.
The authorities believe that tightening security checks in the US ports would be too expensive. Therefore, the US is trying to mobilise the assistance of other member countries of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for the campaign.
According to informed sources, the IMO Maritime Safety Committee’s Intersessional Working Group on Maritime Security (ISWG) also discussed the American plans at its meeting of February 11—15, 2002 in London (United Kingdom), without, however reaching any decisions. In any case, the working group did a decision-making mandate, but has to submit its proposals to the safety committee. Sources in Brussels (Belgium) have indicated that the Maritime Safety Committee will discuss the US proposals at its next meeting, scheduled for May 2002 when the EU will also present its opinion on the subject.
EU says that maritime ports are a security risk
"The EU is also in favour of more security and transparencv in international container shipping," a spokesperson of transport commissioner Loyola dc Palacio told the ITJ. "In terms of security, the maritime ports arc the weakest link in the international transport chain."
However, the EU cannot accept an American Diktat in this matter. A US delegation had already informed Commissioner de Palacio about the planned measures back in January. The responsibility for these matters lay primarily with the IMO in London, the Brussels spokesperson continued. Apparently, the Commission is currently negotiating to find a way around the problem. Commissioner de Palacio has already proposed a
package of measures to improve port security, including the compulsory introduction of container scanners by the year 2004. The commissioner also wants to see security plans drawn up for port perimeters, similar to those already in place at airports. Palacio suggested publishing a register of all seaports in the EU graded according to security status. The criteria for making this classification are currently being worked out.
Many questions remain unanswered, though. For example. which agency will conduct the security checks on the port premises and who will bear the cost? It also remains unclear when and above all how the Americans intend to implement their security plan without exacting a disproportionate toll on their own economy.
