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U.S. Megaports Program Faces Hurdles, GAO Says
The U.S. Energy Department has faced significant roadblocks in instituting its Megaports Initiative, which seeks to halt illicit shipments of radioactive or nuclear material at foreign seaports, the Government Accountability Office said in a report released yesterday (see GSN, March 10). Under the program, the U.S. government installs radiation detectors at ports and provides training for workers there in using the equipment. The program began in 2003. Since then, the Energy Department has finished work only at ports at Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Piraeus, Greece, according to the GAO report. The agency has signed agreements for detector installation at five other ports and negotiations are under way with governments of another 18 nations. Plans call for detectors to be placed at 20 ports by 2010. U.S. officials have had difficulty in negotiations on high-priority ports in nations such as China, the report states. Some governments fear that large-scale use of the detectors on cargo could slow work at the ports, while other ports are reluctant to hire additional personnel to operate the equipment. The Energy Department also lacks a long-term plan for the program to guide work in coming years and help determine the success of the effort, according to the GAO report. The Government Accountability Office questioned cost estimates for the program. While the Energy Department anticipates spending $337 million by 2010, the agency’s per-port cost estimate of $15 million may not be accurate, the report states. A more accurate figure might be available at the end of fiscal 2005, when the Energy Department expects to have five ports in the Megaports Initiative. Additional operational and technical issues also persist, the report states. Radioactive material can be shielded from detection by lead or other materials, while highly enriched uranium that could be used for a nuclear weapon emits low levels of radiation. Physical layouts and environmental conditions at ports could also affect the capability of radiation detectors, according to the report. The Energy Department is installing material and equipment to address such problems. The agency is also preparing a long-term plan for the project and expects to re-examine cost estimates at the end of this fiscal year (Government Accountability Office report, May 3).
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