@Risk

While there’s no doubt that US port security has improved significantly since 9/11, we still have a long way to go.

Of course, it’s no small task to assure goods move effectively and securely through our ports –which last year serviced some 7.8 billion tons of cargo, valued at $8.6 trillion, according to the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA).

If you’re looking for a primer on how port security has changed since Congress passed the “Security and Accountability For Every Port Act of 2006” (aka, the “SAFE Port Act”), I recommend April Terreri’s article, “The Current State of Port Security,” published yesterday at World Trade Magazine.

Terreri provides a comprehensive overview of current security initiatives, including:

• Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT)

• the Importer Security Filing rule known as “10+2”

• radiation-portal scanning

• Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)

• TSA-regulated Certified Cargo Screening Program (CCSP)

As one port official says in the article, there is no silver bullet for cargo security, and clearly, significant challenges remain. Terreri reports that the industry views continued partnership between the trade community and customs administrations as the key to success.

Interestingly, port specialists in the article cite complacency as one of their biggest fears. According to Kelby Woodard, president of Eden Prairie, Minnesota-based Trade Innovations, he hears grumbling from those who wonder why compliance is still required. The reason “nothing has happened,” he wisely responds, is precisely because the new security measures are in place.