Bentley: U.S. ports feel ‘shortchanged? on security

Bentley: U.S. ports feel ôshortchangedö on security    Helen Delich Bentley, a former chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission and ex-Congresswoman, told a ports development conference in Patras, Greece, that a gap in funding for maritime security threatens ports worldwide.
   New security regulations from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) are “strikingly similar — in both regulatory sweep and inadequate level of accompanying funding — to recent Congressional legislation targeting America’s maritime community,” said a statement issued by Bentley’s office in Baltimore.
   Speaking in Greece, Bentley called the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) of 2002, which goes into effect July 1 at all 361 U.S. ports: “a massive body of legislation which is expected to be finalized, in the form of the Coast Guard’s final regulations, later this year.
   “Can any port meet the goals of this legislation?” Bentley asked. “In the two years since 9/11, less than $300 million in federal dollars have been spent on port security issues,” she said.
   An additional $130 million about to be distributed “will still bring the total federal contribution to less than $400 million… with such penurious funding, it is understandable how each U.S. port believes it is shortchanged as it endeavors to fulfill the mandates,” Bentley said.
   “There are no islands in the war on terrorism. No individual ship, nor port, nor nation, can afford to stand alone,” she explained.
   “Where’s the money?” Bentley asked, referring to additional funds for port security. She quoted Sen. Ernest Hollings of South Carolina, as saying that “the dramatic underfunding of key transportation initiatives is creating disasters just waiting to happen.”