|
Update from Senator Mike Jackson
Taking the necessary steps to protect our ports of entry
My legislative district, Senate District 11, includes Galveston, Harris and Brazoria counties. Representing a large maritime port of entry creates many new security challenges. Not only could terrorists use the port as an entry point into the United States, but our area is also home to many large industries, oil refineries and chemical plants. Terrorists might consider this a �target rich� environment.
We are diligently working with federal, state and local law enforcement as well as private security companies to make the port of Houston as safe as possible from terrorist attacks.
In this endeavor, the Port Authority of Houston is moving to a new system of radio frequency identification (RFID), to reduce the possibility that terrorists could exploit its facilities to smuggle weapons of mass destruction into the United States. The new system was originally developed for the U.S. Department of Defense.
The Port of Houston Authority operates a 25-mile-long complex of public and private facilities designed to handle cargo, containers, dry bulk materials and other types of cargo. As the sixth largest port in the world, Houston handles more than 6,600 vessels each year. It�s impossible to inspect each one, which is why the authority plans to deploy the RFID technology.
The system was developed by the Defense Department to track shipments to our overseas forces. Readers placed at strategic points around the port can receive signals from active battery powered electronic seals that alert shippers and the port authority when a container has been opened without authorization.
The system also enables the port to conduct virtual inspections, track and authenticate containers in real-time. The RFID system will allow the Port of Houston Authority to track shipments originating from manufacturing, distribution and port facilities in Europe and Latin America.
We also rely heavily on the United States Coast Guard (USCG), for security. This past year USCG Captian Richard Kaser officially chartered the Area Maritime Security (AMS) Committee. This committee will work to combine the resources and expertise of law enforcement, regulatory agencies and various public and private sector stakeholders to develop strategies and procedures for protecting the ports of Houston, Galveston, Texas City and Freeport.
The Coast Guard has recently decided to attempt to board every foreign-flagged vessel that sails into a U.S. port, to check to see if it is complying with rules aimed at foiling terrorists.
The Coast Guard has a range of sanctions that can be imposed on ships that fail to meet the new safety standards. If the violations are severe enough the ships will be turned away. The Coast Guard may also detain the ship and require it to hire security guards until it comes into compliance.
The U.S. Navy is also shoring up its role in maritime security. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld recently issued an order clarifying and emphasizing the Navy�s ability to conduct maritime intercept operations. The Navy and the Coast Guard are working together toward closer coordination in maritime security.
Their goal is to identify an enemy threat as far from our shores as possible and employ military capabilities for the defeat of that threat. The order signed by Rumsfeld clarifies the Navy�s ability to engage, search, interdict and, if necessary, defeat vessels that might contain a terrorist threat.
The cooperation between the Navy and the Coast Guard is recognition that our nation is defended through close coordination and the combined capabilities of both services.
Terrorists should be warned that the Port of Houston has law enforcement officers, private security officers and the Navy and Coast Guard waiting for them. They should also be warned that we are prepared to stop them with whatever force may be necessary.
|
