Blast-resistant containers, ‘open box’ inspection slammed

Friday, 09 February 2007

Cargo group urges ‘realistic TSA solutions for US’s security issues’

A GROUP of cargo heavyweights in the United States has urged a government committee to consider a number of security issues and has suggested using dogs on a wider scale for the screening of air cargo.

The move comes as the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee begins its consideration of a section of the Aviation Security Improvement Act — and its specific provisions to enhance the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) programs for screening air cargo.

The group, comprising a number of major air transport and cargo associations, has urged the committee to focus on “realistic solutions based on a framework that identifies and prioritises risks and works methodically to apply effective and proven security measures”.

In a letter to the committee chairman, the group members have called for the TSA to be provided with appropriate resources and sufficient flexibility to accomplish its task.

“To this end, it is important to risk the temptation to prescribe blanket standards and/or measures that cannot be met and that, in the end, will work against the goal of ensuring the safety and security of all airline passengers and crews.

“We recognise that government and industry must address threats and vulnerabilities in air cargo, but this task must be accomplished in a manner that allows for the continued free flow of commerce that is so vital to this nation’s economic security.”

As well as the expanded use of canines by the TSA for explosives detection, the group has called for incentives for shippers to strengthen supply chain security practices, threat assessment and targeting and increased inspections of elevated-risk cargo.

It also attacked moves for the TSA to research, develop and acquire expensive blast-resistant cargo containers, costing as much as US$20,000 each, claiming a much better move would be to expand the TSA National Explosives Detection Canine Team and other effective screening efforts.
The group pointed out that there was no existing technology to allow for efficient physical inspection of 100 per cent of air cargo.

And it claimed that  ‘open box’ inspections of cargo, as was often required by current regulations, was “extremely disruptive” to commerce, often damaged or destroyed shipped products, put airline employees at unnecessary risk and was less effective than screening by dogs.

“Blast-resistant containers are twice as expensive and twice as heavy as standard air cargo containers. They can only be used on wide-body aircraft, which account for only 14 per cent of the US airline fleet - and are unsuitable for a significant quantity of cargo in the passenger system, much of which is palletised or larger than can be accommodated by containers.”