Maritime Transportation System : Threatened by ignorance

September 27, 2006 by SwizStick  
Filed under Seafreight, Supply Chain Management

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Stephen E. Flynn from the Council of Foreign Relations warns that the U.S. needs to get maritime security right and that we have just as much to fear from a public that does not understand the importance of our maritime transportation system in this article from Logistics Management:

“If there is a major security breach, such as a dirty bomb that ends up at a distribution center far away from where it originated, and we cannot identify the source, and Americans do not have confidence in the risk-management regimes that are put in place that manage that, I can guarantee that our government will behave irrationally from a risk standpoint,” said Flynn. “And we will close up all our ports down and inspect our way to a sense of security.”

The ripple effect of this, noted Flynn, is that it would likely halt the global trade system within two weeks.
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“Americans by and large—especially their elected representatives—are overwhelmingly ignorant about how the global transportation and logistics system works,” said Flynn, explaining the DPW backlash.

“They have a woeful under-appreciation of its value and of the critical role it plays in our prosperity. We are in a desperate race to educate the American public about this issue. Part of the challenge is the [maritime transportation and logistics] is an off-shore industry. We need to work our way through these complex issues.”

He went on to say, “The threat here is not the act of terror itself. The threat here, which we saw with DPW, was how the American politicians would respond to a perceived breach of security, which they feel threatens their communities.”

Emphasis ours.

Read the whole thing.

While legislation such as the SAFE Port Act and the GreenLane Maritime Cargo Security Act seem to be pretty good examples of smart and reasonable legislation, I would call them exceptions to the rule. Most elected officials – and the general public – tend to come up with ignorant knee-jerk-reactionary solutions that would significantly restrict cargo movement and international trade, harming both the U.S. and global economies. Reactions such as Senator Schumer’s amendment (which was rejected) to the SAFE Port Act that would have mandated 100% container screening and a tax levied on all containers entering the U.S.

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