Safeguarding Shipping Profitably
A project to secure cargo containers from seaport to seaport shows that RFID can track shipments with 100 percent accuracy, improve safety and deliver some compelling financial benefits to importers.
By Jonathan Collins
Jan. 19, 2004—More than 17,000 containers—roughly 80 percent of all U.S. imports—enter the United States by ship each year, yet U.S. customs and security officials open and inspect less than 2 percent of the containers arriving at seaports. The inability to check all of the containers represents a gaping hole in the nation’s domestic security. Government officials are concerned that terrorists could exploit the lack of security at ports by sneaking weapons of mass destruction into the country.
Security experts, government officials and supply chain operators say that when it comes to the process of checking and securing containers the greatest vulnerability comes from the human element. There aren’t enough people to open and inspect every container and to determine accurately which containers have been tampered with.
To address this security risk, the Strategic Council on Security Technology, an international organization composed of executives from port operators and logistics technology providers as well as former U.S. military leaders and public officials, launched the first phase of the Smart and Secure Trade Lanes (SST) project to demonstrate how RFID could be used to secure and track containers and safeguard international shipping lanes.
Jan. 19, 2004—More than 17,000 containers—roughly 80 percent of all U.S. imports—enter the United States by ship each year, yet U.S. customs and security officials open and inspect less than 2 percent of the containers arriving at seaports. The inability to check all of the containers represents a gaping hole in the nation’s domestic security. Government officials are concerned that terrorists could exploit the lack of security at ports by sneaking weapons of mass destruction into the country.
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| Goods were tracked as they reached Seattle-Tacoma |
Security experts, government officials and supply chain operators say that when it comes to the process of checking and securing containers the greatest vulnerability comes from the human element. There aren’t enough people to open and inspect every container and to determine accurately which containers have been tampered with.
To address this security risk, the Strategic Council on Security Technology, an international organization composed of executives from port operators and logistics technology providers as well as former U.S. military leaders and public officials, launched the first phase of the Smart and Secure Trade Lanes (SST) project to demonstrate how RFID could be used to secure and track containers and safeguard international shipping lanes.
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