29 April 2009

Legislation Would Set Mandatory Port Security

The following is excerpted from the 28 April 2009 edition of “The Journal of Commerce”.

New legislation would set minimum standards for container security and require monitoring of U.S.-bound containers from the point of stuffing, according to the Senate delegations from New York and New Jersey.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., said the bill would implement the recommendations of a port security task force established in 2006 by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The Port Authority Implementation Act (S 3174) would set mandatory standards for container security to replace shippers’ voluntary compliance. Any container that did not meet the standard would be refused entry.

Other provisions call for port security protocols to extend to port service craft such as supply and bunkering vessels, regional response and recovery plans, standardized tools for assessing risk….