Engineering Inc. - May/June 2007 - 20

istorically, ports have been designed as open spaces where vessels and vehicles can get in and out quickly. In many ways, Transportation Workers Identity Cre- milestone in port security, port and termisecurity is a very new area dential (TWIC) program. All workers nal operators are keenly aware that always employed in the nation’s transportation lurking are new dangers and issues, not for them. systems will need the new tamper-resistant, biometric credential to access federally regulated vessels and facilities. Approximately 750,000 port workers were issued TWIC cards following successful completion of background checks. “TWIC probably is the biggest undertaking yet for the nation’s port system,” Mintz said. “Fortunately it’s being implemented in stages, beginning with the background checks and issuing of credentials. The next step will be finalizing and implementing the card-reader technology. Some of the access control systems already in place at ports may require modification or replacement to handle biometric security.” While TWIC will represent a major all of which are man-made. The extensive damage to Gulf Coast ports caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita offers an ominous reminder that even the most sophisticated protection mechanisms have their limitations. “That’s why post-disaster business continuity is an important element in port security planning,” Varona said, citing a strategic master plan and gap analysis his company developed for the South Carolina State Ports Authority as an example. “A port needs to consider the facilities, systems and protocols necessary to handle the emergency—whether it’s a storm or terrorist attack—and maintain or restore its revenue stream activities.” Englot believes the biggest threat the SCOtt BrOteMArkle aMeRican association of PoRt autHoRities H Engineering Partners nation’s ports face is complacency. “If an emergency doesn’t take place for a long time, it’s tempting to take for granted that everything is OK,” he said. “Ports need to stay continually focused on safeguarding their infrastructure and preventing harmful devices and material from entering our country.” Scanning Progress Celebrating Success in . . . Engineering Planning Security Collaboration Integrity Value Achieving Success through . . . Best Firm 2001-2006 Gold Award 2007 800-835-0292 www.rothhill.com The accelerated effort to secure all U.S. ports already is showing progress. Consider these recent remarks by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff at a meeting of the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) in March: “We are now scanning more than 90 percent of cargo for radiation, and we’re going to reach 98 percent at our major seaports by the end of this year, and almost 100 percent for all ports of entry, sea and land, by the end of 2008.” Because many critical ports are located in close proximity to each other, the Department of Homeland Security is emphasizing a regional approach to security. The benefit, Chertoff said, is that “we can cluster individual ports and analyze them as part of a single area, to reflect geographic proximity and the interdependency of assets, shared risk and shared waterway.” n 20 ENGINEERING INC. MAY / JUNE 2007

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Engineering Inc. - May/June 2007

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