Currently, about five percent of incoming shipping containers are inspected for dangerous cargo.
In a recently introduced Rockefeller-Hutchison bill, The Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2010, language in the bill extends the requirement that 100 percent of U.S.-bound cargo containers be scanned using either non-intrusive imaging or radiation equipment to 2015, three years past the original deadline put forth in H.R. 1.
Concerns regarding 100 percent container scanning were echoed by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Patty Murray (D-WA) in their the SAFE Port Reauthorization Act of 2010 … which focuses on various aspects of port security such as extending port security grants, reauthorizing the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT), and expanding the America’s Waterway Watch Program, among others.
In a letter to DHS Secretary Napolitano, the Congressmen expressed their concerns over DHS’ lack of progress in implementing the 100 percent cargo scanning requirement mandated in H.R. 1. They told Napolitano they are disappointed that DHS is not attempting to meet the 2012 deadline and is instead focused on seeking to extend the deadline for all ports worldwide without developing a plan to implement the scanning requirement.