9/11 Reminds Us to Evaluate Security Measures

The occurrence & passing of 9/11 each year reminds us to evaluate safety measures in the U.S. Since safety is on the forefront of everyone’s mind currently, the AAPA (American Association of Port Authorities) has come forward to talk about current U.S. port security.

The good thing is that the AAPA assures us that ports are far safer than they were before 9/11. About a decade ago, Congress passed the Maritime Transportation Safety Act (MTSA), and this resulted in great measures of increased port security. After 9/11, there were many regulations put into place and changes made to decrease risk of further acts of terrorism; however, it also encouraged increased security for other crime that threaten U.S. ports as well.

On the other hand, there is still much work that needs to be done in order to enhance port security. A few of the main challenges that the AAPA has pointed out are:

• Funding the Federal Port Security Grant (PSG) program
• Completing the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) card reader evaluation and testing process
• Upgrading Department of Homeland Security (DHS) threat detection equipment at ports
• Making the Maritime Security Risk Assessment Model (MSRAM) available to more than just the U.S. Coast Guard so that accurate risk assessments can be done of other facilities and vessels

It is good to be assured that U.S. port security has come a long way in the past decade, and hopefully improvements will continue to be made. It is also important to remember that shippers, carriers, and logistics professionals also have a great hand in contributing to transportation security; and we should all take that role very seriously.