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Peter A. Buxbram, American Journal of Transportation
March 17, 2003
Last month's unloading of two cargo containers equipped with electronic seals at the Port of Seattle highlighted the use of those devices as a component in the nation's homeland security strategy. But the piloting of e-seals represents only a beginning in the effort to secure international supply chains.
That terrorists could attack the US homeland by introducing a weapon of mass destruction through an American port has been a subject of discussion since September 11, 2001. The same concern has been the motivating force behind the efforts of the US Customs Service to push back US borders and provide visibility to container contents at the point of loading.
Electronic seals, which vary in their technologies, capabilities, and costs, could help in that effort by keeping track of loads and by recording and communicating attempts at intrusion. But one expert warns that e-seals alone cannot provide a high degree of cargo security. "All security devices are defeatable, especially in isolation," says Michael Wolfe, principal in North River Consulting Group in North Marshfield, MA, and an expert in tracking technologies. "E-seals would make sense as a thread in the cargo security fabric, adding a layer of detection, protection, and data capture."
Wolfe contends that e-seals are still unproved in widespread use, and that, therefore, "we need active and aggressive field demonstrations and pilots. We need to accelerate new product learning curves and speed their deployment."
To that end, at least two companies have inaugurated, or are planning, pilot programs designed to test electronic seals in action. One, Savi Technology, Inc. of Sunnyvale, CA, is a veteran in the development of cargo tracking technologies. Savi is also one of the moving forces behind Smart and Secure Tradelanes, the private-sector program sponsored by the Strategic Council on Security Technology that recently tracked the boxes from Hong Kong to Seattle.
The other company, NaviTag Technologies, Inc, a startup based in North Quincy, MA, has been engaged by a federal government agency to develop a proof of concept for a satellite-based container tracking and security system. NaviTag is about to embark on a pilot designed to test its technology across several global trade lanes with the participation of several well-known US manufacturers.
Savi Technology developed, and continues to operate, a Total Asset Visibility Network for the Department of Defense. That network spans 36 countries and 400 strategic points worldwide, including commercial ports such as Antwerp, Rotterdam, and Charleston.
An electronic tag affixed to containers contains information on shipment contents and routing and is scanned at each of the checkpoints by means of a radio frequency identification (RFID) signal, thus tracking the location and contents of any given container. An arrangement with the Defense Department in June 2001 allows Savi to adapt its existing network for commercial purposes.
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