Rotary Club of Charleston -- April 1, 2003

2002 - 2003 President: John Grinalds

P.O. Box 21029
Charleston, SC 29413-1029

Club secretary:
Carroll Schweers
chasrot@comcast.net

Port security is tighter, tougher than ever
Groseclose says 100 percent of at-risk cargo is inspected

APRIL 1 - The State Ports Authority is responding to the post-Sept. 11 reality of terrorist threats with tough, increased security measures, Executive Director Bernie Groseclose told members.

"The challenge we have is how to balance the need for security and safety with expediting cargo through the port," he said.

Every day, some 200 security personnel are involved with ensuring the port is safe, he said. Other measures include:

The Coast Guard, which has jurisdiction over searching vessels and keeping up with crews, now learns about pending ship arrivals some 96 hours before they get to Charleston. Before 9/11, they often learned only 24 hours early. The extra time allows the Guard to do more background checks and be better prepared. The Coast Guard also is patrolling area waters heavily and has more sea marshals who board ships before they get to the harbor.
The Coast Guard and S.C. Department of Natural Resources provide escorts for cruise ships. One hundred percent of bags that go on and off the ships are inspected, Groseclose said.
U.S. Customs officials use a high-tech VACIS machine to shoot gamma rays and see into randomly-selected container cargo. The Port expects another mobile cargo-buster unit by the end of the month.
U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings steered $13 million to the Port-$9 million in Project Seahawk, a grant to coordinate agency security efforts and $4 million for a Weapons of Mass Destruction detection project. The Port is seeking more funding for other projects that have been passed down as unfunded mandates.

Groseclose also said a misleading figure has been bandied about. It's not accurate to suggest only 2 percent of container cargo are randomly checked because that implies a lot of stuff may be getting through.

In reality, with port security programs by Customs and other officials in other ports and with the more sophisticated pre-arrival reporting/notification requirements, Port officials make assessments of any at-risk cargo and crack it open.

"100 percent of the at-risk containers are inspected," Groseclose said.

-- Andy Brack

The Rotary Club of Charleston meets 12:30 p.m. every Tuesday in Holliday Hall adjacent to The Citadel's football stadium on Hagood Street. All Rotarians are invited to visit with us.