In the aftermath of September 11, there was an understandable rush to deploy all kinds of high-tech security solutions, from handheld radiation detectors to shipment-tracking software. At the same time, a host of cargo-security programs kicked into gear, including Operation Safe Commerce, which tested the viability of electronic seals and tracking technologies for ocean containers.

There was no shortage of technological responses to security concerns. But what waslacking in that post-September 11 maelstrom was executive-level direction regarding terrorist threats, and how those threats should be addressed. "This lack of focus created an environment where every technology vendor loudly touted its technology as the solution to cargo-security problems," explains Matthew Schor, director of homeland security solutions at WhereNet Corp., in Santa Clara, Calif. "But with no specific definition of the cargo-security problem, it was impossible to rank each technology."

Four years later, shippers are faced with an ever-widening selection of cargo-security products and technologies. Now it's time for them to filter out the noise and decide which of those technologies best meets their own security needs.

It's clear that cargo security is on many shippers' minds. According to a recent report by consulting firm A.T. Kearney, ocean shipping security ranks as the top concern among executives who are responsible for supply chain operations for U.S. importers and exporters. Conducted in collaboration with the International Cargo Security Council (ICSC), the study found that container shipments, which account for 90 percent of world trade, are growing at a compound annual rate of 5 percent. Today, few of these containers are physically inspected for weapons of mass destruction or other security threats.

The potential for terrorists to use maritime trade as a vehicle for disrupting the U.S. economy is clearly a concern at the highest levels. In December, President Bush signed Homeland Security Presidential Directive No. 13, effectively directing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to create a maritime-security strategy. Another directive established the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office.

In August, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that about 70 percent of maritime containers that are shipped to the United States are being screened through its Container Security Initiative (CSI). CSI requires carriers at foreign ports to submit manifests 24 hours prior to departure; inspectors use radiation detection and imaging technology to inspect containers that have been identified during screening as high-risk.

Despite the apparent success of these and other initiatives, experts say too few strides have been made in the realm of cargo security. One problem, says Doron Pely, a vice president for Homeland Security Research Corp. (HSRC) in Washington, is that there isn't enough technology and personnel to screen the millions of containers that arrive in the U.S. every year. "Current security technology is too people-dependent, costly, and ineffective, but it's the only game in town," he says.

Wide Array of Products

That situation almost certainly will change. The idea that terrorists would take aim at the nation's supply chains—a point highlighted in a 2004 report from Forrester Research—has sent vendors to the drawing board in an attempt to come up with effective security and screening solutions. Continued...

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