Page 47: of Marine Technology Magazine (July 2022)

hen most people think of globalization, they im- a ? eet of manned vessels. This methodology stresses the abil- mediately think of the international trade that has ity of port authorities to provide around-the-clock security.

lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty over the Cameras seem to offer an effective solution, but several peo-

W past few decades. As a former active-duty U.S. ple must monitor the video for the cameras to have any effec- naval of? cer, that is where my focus has been for most of my tiveness. With some ports maintaining scores of cameras, this professional life—on the high seas. That changed in August entails having a command center and enough watch-standers 2020 when deadly explosions rocked the harbor in Beirut, to monitor all of the cameras twenty-four hours a day.

Lebanon. However, lost among the headlines that dominated The use of manned craft to patrol a harbor of any size comes the international news for weeks, was the importance of ports with its own issues. Manned vessel operations are expen- and harbors to the global commerce that is the lifeblood of the sive, are often limited by weather and water conditions, and economy of virtually every nation. physically stress port professionals. For most ports, multiple

The critical nodes that support trade are the world’s har- manned vessels are needed to guarantee suf? cient revisit. bors. From Shanghai, to Rotterdam, to Los Angeles, to Hong Given the manifest challenges of providing adequate – let

Kong, to Shenzhen and to other mega-ports, as well as hun- alone comprehensive – security for ports with current state-of- dreds smaller ports, ports and harbors are critical to world the-art systems and capabilities, it is little wonder that port of- prosperity. A catastrophic event could close one of these ? cials are searching for technology solutions that will enable ports for an inde? nite time and spill an enormous amount of them to provide better security, at lower costs.

pollution into the oceans.

Faced with this challenge, port authorities must ensure se-

Port of Los Angeles: curity twenty-four hours a day, every day. This task includes A Mega-Port with a Mega-Challenge continuous inspection of port assets, threat detection and se- The Port of Los Angeles (POLA) is the busiest port in the curity response, ongoing surveys to ensure navigable water- United States. This mega-port comprises 43 miles of water- ways, hull inspections, and a wide-range of other missions. front, 42 square miles of water, 26 passenger and cargo ter-

The magnitude of providing comprehensive security for an av- minals and 86 ship-to-shore container cranes. POLA handled erage size port – let alone some of the world’s mega-ports – can over ten million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo sometimes lure port authorities into wishing away the challenge. last year.

But in an increasingly dangerous world, ports that can be at- Current capabilities to secure the Port of Los Angeles in- tacked via land or sea present an inviting and vulnerable target. volve monitoring the video provided by ? ve hundred cameras throughout the port, as well as patrolling the ports’ expanse

Today’s “State of the Art” for Port Security of water with a ? eet of manned vessels. This methodology

Today’s port and harbor security measures in most ports in- is increasingly expensive and does not provide comprehen- volve monitoring the video provided by cameras throughout sive security. For these reasons, Port of Los Angeles of? cials the port, as well as patrolling the ports’ expanse of water with had a mandate from a number of stakeholders to explore the

All photos: Jack Rowley www.marinetechnologynews.com 47

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