U.S. and global container scanning initiative scrutinized

U.S. and global container scanning initiative scrutinized    David Sanborn, senior vice president and managing director of the Americas for DP World, told the Maritime Security Council in Washington Tuesday that U.S. initiatives to scan inbound containerized cargo are not ambitious enough, specifically referring to port security legislation recently signed into law by the Bush administration.
   Under the recently approved SAFE Port Act, the Department of Homeland Security is instructed to start a pilot program for integrated radiation detection and X-ray scanning of cargo at three ports overseas.
   Sanborn also noted that the day before DP World was asked by the U.S. government to pull out of its U.S. terminal deal the company had offered to implement scanning of containers at all of its facilities.
   Thomas Timlen head of BIMCO’s Security and International Affairs Department, told Shippers’ NewsWire that another crucial aspect on this issue is the screening of cargo and shipment information, a challenge that the World Customs Organization sought to pursue by the establishment of “unique consignment reference” (UCR) numbers, which would link shipment data to a central customs information system.
   “These proposals from the 1990s, if they had been globally implemented, would have been a great step towards enabling and facilitating efficient risk analysis by customs personnel,” Timlen said. “Particularly with respect to preloading risk assessments of cargo.”