More security is needed for maritime containers, warns Chuck Raymond
Every second of every day, $10 billion worth of world commerce is at risk if maritime and port security measures are not in place to stop terrorism, warns Charles G. (Chuck) Raymond, chairman, CEO and president of domestic American ocean carrier Horizon Lines.
Speaking at a recent maritime security conference in Washington, D.C., Raymond noted, “The national economy and the world economy could be severely impacted by terrorists using marine containers. Maritime and port security measures should and will be a boost to system efficiency with the effective capture and use of shipment data and event updates.”
Raymond was appointed recently to a five-year term on the National Maritime Security Advisory Committee, established to advise, consult with and make recommendations to the Department of Homeland Security, via the Commandant of the Coast Guard on matters related to national maritime security.
“Communication and planning throughout today¹s ocean supply chains is sporadic, reaction-based and a hindrance to efficient commerce,” Raymond says. “However, the key is the sharing of meaningful information across all players, including carrier, shipper, consignee, bankers, vessel operators, port operators, drayage agents, Customs House Brokers, railroads, truckers and third party warehousemen and logistics providers.”
Technology exists, he adds, to capture key events, forecast future events, capture various types of intelligence, such as electronic seals, radioactive sensors, variations from "traditional" routes, dwell times, identity of shippers, among other factors, to make the security system much more affordable, benign to most international cargo movements and more secure overall.
“The solution is in how we effectively capture all of the necessary data, as early in the life of a shipment as possible, input new data as it becomes available and organize and monitor that data in order to serve the goals of security and commerce,” Raymond says.
