U.S. Announces Program to Enhance Radiation Scanning of U.S.-Bound Shipping From Overseas Ports

The United States yesterday announced a program to conduct radiation scans on all U.S.-bound containers on cargo ships leaving three major international ports.   Beginning early next year, port authorities would used radiation detectors and X-ray machines to scan for nuclear weapon and dirty bomb materials in containers leaving ports in Pakistan, Honduras and the United Kingdom, the New York Times reported (see GSN, Sept. 27).

Called the Secure Freight Initiative, the $60 million program would also scan some, but not all, U.S-bound containers at three additional ports in South Korea, Singapore and Oman (Eric Lipton, New York Times, Dec. 8).

“Our highest priority and greatest sense of urgency has to be aimed at preventing a nuclear weapon or dirty bomb attack against the homeland,” said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. “This initiative advances a comprehensive strategy to secure the global supply chain and cut off any possibility of exploitation by terrorists” (DHS release, Dec. 7).

Some nuclear terrorism experts played down the effectiveness of U.S. programs to prevent nuclear weapons from entering the country.

“I am not presently optimistic that current efforts to inspect and scan will have any payoff against highly enriched uranium,” said Peter Zimmerman, director of the Kings College London Center for Science and Security Studies (see GSN, Oct. 3).  He said simple materials, such as aluminum foil, could easily shield fissile materials from radiation detectors (Reuters/New York Times, Dec. 8).

“The good news is we will only waste $60 million,” added James Jay Carafano, a Heritage Foundation senior fellow (Lipton, New York Times).

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