USA: CSI - The stick behind the carrot

Hot on the heels of the Homeland Security Bill, comes the Maritime Transportation and Security Act that contains measures to protect the US coastline and ports against a range of harms including terrorism. Good, idea, one might say bearing in mind that the USA does not, says Washington, currently have a comprehensive coastline protection provision.
Less than 2% of containers coming into the USA by sea are inspected, despite representing 95% of the tonnage arriving in the country.

The measures include a national registration scheme for "wetside" dock workers and an extension of territorial policing: the Coast Guard's jurisdiction for certain security activities from three miles to 12 miles offshore and for conducting drug interdiction activities from 12 to 24 miles offshore.

In a slightly perverse twist, the Bill was passed but not until after the funding arrangements had been deleted so the authorised expenditure is not provided for.

But there is a matter of international importance.

World Money Laundering Report: Online has previously reported on the Container Security Initiative. Countries such as Italy, Malaysia and Singapore have agreed to have US Customs Officer stationed at ports to examine containers.

The MTS Act provides that the Transportation Department to assess security and anti-terrorist measures both domestically and at foreign ports from which high volumes of cargo heading for US destinations originate and, in addition, those that pose a high risk of terrorism. If the department concludes that a foreign port does not have effective anti-terrorism safeguards, it must suggest, to the government of the relevant country, changes . The US will also offer related security training to port authorities. B ut the stick behind the carrot is that ships arriving from a foreign port that fails to meet USA demands (they call them "security standards" could be banned from US ports.