Page 14: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (October 2002)

Government Update rays operate at a wavelength of less than 10-11 m and can't detect small objects with the same capability as X-rays. On the other hand, traditional shielding, such as lead, does not generally prevent gamma-ray devices from examining the contents.

Devices are used to examine a variety of emissions from cargos and their con- tainers. Radiation detectors are now worn on a regular basis by Customs inspectors and others, such as U.S.

Coast Guard boarding officers. Other devices can detect minute traces of munitions or explosives.

While these X-ray machines and other devices may serve as an excellent early warning system, they may also provide false positives. Two recent examples involve a shipment that arrived in

Miami in August and the container ship detained in New York in September. On

August 8, the Customs Service was con- ducting a random X-ray examination of a container that had arrived from Israel.

The X-ray revealed what appeared to be munitions. The bomb squad was called in and the container was carefully opened. Inside, along with other house- hold goods, were two metal flower pots.

One was made from a spent 155 mm artillery shell and the other was made from part of an exploded test missile.

Neither was dangerous, but a portion of the port was shut down during the inspection. On September 10, U.S.

Coast Guard personnel were conducting a routine examination of the container ship Palermo Senator when their radia- tion detectors were activated. A securi- ty zone was immediately established around the vessel, which has recently arrived in Port Elizabeth, N.J. from

Valencia, Spain. The vessel was escort- ed to anchorage near the Ambrose Light

Tower where it was fully examined by personnel from the Coast Guard, Cus- toms Service, FBI, Department of Ener- gy, and U.S. Navy Seals. It was eventu- ally determined that the radiation was being emitted by a container carrying clay tiles from Italy. Low level radiation is sometimes found in clay deposits. It has been reported that the vessel opera- tor incurred demurrage costs exceeding $50,000 while the vessel was being examined.

Cargo Inspections in the United States

As noted previously, the rate of ran- dom physical inspections of containers arriving in the United States has aver- aged at two percent, although the level has increased since the terrorist attacks.

The U.S. Customs Service recently instituted a Sea Cargo Targeting Initia- tive. This initiative has three compo- nents: (1) adding new criteria to Cus- toms automated systems that reflect the latest information about possible terror- ist activities; (2) ensuring that all mani- fests are processed through the Auto- mated Targeting System and reviewed by trained personnel; and (3) standardiz- ing Customs procedure and practice when the system pinpoints a high-risk shipment. All high-risk sea cargo con- tainers will be examined by non-intru- sive inspection technology and the integrity of the container seal and the

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