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CONTAINER SECURITY
WorldCargo
news
100% box scanning rethink?
RAM VeriSpreader launch
31 to 21 containers per crane hour on a address challenges posed by heavy trans-
NSL Engineering and VeriTainer have announcement that they are shortly to
Janet Napolitano, the new Secretary
of the US Department of Homeland feeder vessel with a 300 container call, shipment ports.”
launched the RAM VeriSpreader, a launch a system that will “revolutionise
increasing its total berth time 50% from The World Shippers’ Council also
twin-20 crane spreader with VeriTainer’s transhipped and ship-to-rail radiation
Security (DHS) has indicated that
3.2 to 4.8 hours. pointed out a key issue that has to be re-
crane mounted scanning system. scanning of maritime containers” is
she may rethink the requirement for
all US-bound containers to be By contrast at the UK port of South- solved, namely whether and to what ex-
VeriTainer’s view that crane- timely. The first RAM VeriSpreader is
ampton, another port participating in SFI tent US Customs and Border Protection
mounted radiation detection is the best scheduled to be built during Q2 2009.
scanned at ports of loading by 2012.
In response to questions from the Sen- pilot program, US-bound transhipment (CBP) will allow scanning to be per-
way to secure container shipping with- “Over time, NSL Engineering and
ate Committee on Homeland Security boxes are not drayed to scanning equip- formed by the private sector and/or with
out impeding the flow of commerce at VeriTainer will also embed the SVCI
and Government Affairs at her nomina- ment at the gate, but are scanned with private sector equipment. “It is our un-
marine terminals is well known, but (synchronous vibrational cargo
tion hearing, Napolitano said the 2012 hand-held radiation detection devices derstanding that Congress did not intend
DHS Secure Freight Initiatives to date imaging) technology developed by
deadline specified in the HR1 bill “is go- owned by HM Revenue and Customs. the overseas container scanning function
have focused on portal scanners that Erudite Systems, which allows for non-
ing to be difficult to achieve based on The SFI report acknowledged the to be left to foreign companies to per-
combine radiation detection with X- ionizing Non-Intrusive Imaging (NII)
what we know today. transhipment issue but said advancements form, but was to be a function of either
ray imaging. of cargo containers to determine the
”Container security is about securing in technologies “including mobile and the US Government or the sovereign gov-
Against the backdrop of a new ad- presence of shielding of nuclear and ra-
global supply chains, not just securing spreader bar technologies (should they ernment of a trusted trading partner” the
ministration reconsidering research and diological material,” the companies said
ports. If confirmed, I plan to look closely prove to be commercially viable) will help Council noted.
spending priorities, VeriTainer and NSL’s in a statement. a74
a74
at where we are, what is possible and use-
ful and pledge to come back to the Con-
gress with a clear path forward,” she said.
In June last year, the DHS Secure
Freight Initiative (SFI) released a report
that found that though three scanning
pilot projects demonstrated that “scanning
of all US bound maritime containers is
possible on a limited scale,” there are ma-
jor barriers to full implementation includ-
ing foreign government cooperation,
equipment costs and reliability, port in-
frastructure constraints, and “significant
difficulties” scanning and X-raying trans-
shipped cargo.
Napolitano said she would “carefully
review the issues” and work “to coordi-
nate an appropriate future course for the
SFI pilot program.”
While there is widespread opposition
to 100% scanning (see page 48),
Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH), the
world’s biggest port operator, told the
DHS that it “wishes to see no backing
off” from the 2012 deadline, though there
are issues that need to be resolved. These
include transhipment ports, increased US
funding, the lack of standards for imaging
and radiation detection equipment and a
policy void on who will provide the
equipment, data management systems etc.
The Singapore Ministry of Transport
was less enthusiastic, stopping short of say-
ing 100% scanning was impractical but
noting that draying boxes to the scanning
site added 2 km to tractor travel distances
(a 50% increase) and increased tractor cy-
cle time from 9.6 mins to 14.4 mins. This
lowered productivity on a three-crane op-
eration with five tractors per crane from
Air sample
solution?
Texas-based architect Marshall Wilson
claims to have invented a non-intru-
sive detection system that will revo-
lutionise container security.
Threat Thwart is a system for tak-
ing an air sample from a container and
analysising it for a wide variety of se-
curity threats, including chemical, bio-
logical, radiological, nuclear, and high-
explosive threats, without having to
open or even move the container.
Wilson says existing scanning sys-
tems are inadequate because they rely
unrealistically on radiation imaging to
detect suspect structures or nuclear
materials. Using an air sample is not
itself a novel idea, but Wilson says other
known systems rely on moving or
The PrimeLINE
®
container refrigeration unit from Carrier
modifying containers to take the air
Transicold helps you manage energy costs and dramatically
samples and this is not practical.
reduce carbon footprint with best-in-class energy consumption
By contrast, Threat Thwart uses a
“vent cup” attached to a telescopic
and the industry's highest deep frozen capacity using R-134a.
actuator to take the sample from a
With the optional QUEST power-saving mode (also available
static container. The vent cup is de-
signed to mate with and form a seal
on our ThinLINE
®
and EliteLINE
®
models), you can further cut
around common container vents. energy requirements by up to 50%. Contact your Carrier sales
A vacuum pump or compressor is
representative or visit our Web site to see how well ecology and
used to take the air sample and draw it
into the detection system. Sensors that
economy are working together.
need closer proximity, such as a Geiger
counter or ionisation detector, can be
www.container.carrier.com/primeline
located at the vent cup.
0
The detection system itself can be 0
mounted on a common all terrain ve-
0
,
hicle (ATV), car or trailer and powered
0
8
!
0
2
from the vehicle or a battery. The sen-
2
0
sors could include a wide variety of
©2009 Carrier Corporation
A member of the United Technologies Corporation family. Stock symbol UTX.
commercially available biological agent,
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PCR nucleic systems, contraband de-
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tectors and explosives sensors.
B
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a74
February 2009 45
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