South Florida InfraGard Chapter: Maritime Security - Protecting Our Ports
InfraGard is a national information sharing program between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the private sector. There is no monetary cost to join yet its benefits to government and private industry are great.
InfraGard is a national information sharing program between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the private sector. There is no monetary cost to join and the collaboration and communication produced are crucial to protecting our organizations, people and nation's critical infrastructures and key resources.
Each InfraGard chapter is geographically linked with an FBI Field Office, providing all stakeholders immediate access to experts from law enforcement, industry, academic institutions and other federal, state and local government agencies.
The South Florida Chapter is made up of individuals from critical sectors of the economy such as energy, transportation, banking, finance, public health, information/telecommunications, emergency services and others.
If you are not a member of InfraGard please click InfraGard's main site for more information on this program.
You can also visit www.infragard.com to see about joining your local InfraGard Chapter
Presentation on Maritime Security – Protecting our Maritime Port of Miami & Ft. Lauderdale
On Friday, September 24th, the STAR Center in Dania Beach hosted a Presentation on Maritime Security, sponsored by the FBI’s South Florida Infragard Chapter. Members of the FBI, USCG, DHL, AMO and Miami Dade Police Department were present to offer their expertise on port, vessel and cargo security. (Pictured Right: Presenters and Members of InfraGard
The presenters included:
Presentations on Maritime Threats and Security
Ninety percent of the world’s cargo moves on ships making ships and ports vulnerable to terrorism. Assistant WMD Coordinator for the FBI, Brian LeBlanc says threats include the contamination of food or water on a cruise ship or the smuggling of illegal substances or explosives into a cargo hold. While cargo is accounted for and recorded on a ships manifest, a very small percentage actually gets inspected. Capt. Gerard Pannell explained that the cargo is cleared and manifested for each voyage and the reliance on each port's proper documentation is vital.
Technology and communication between agencies remains the key to increasing port security. Advances in technology are allowing for quicker and more efficient screening of more cargo, but despite the increase, a majority of containers do not get inspected and communication between the ports, FBI and local agencies can help to fill these gaps.
Capt. Paul Kalapodas pointed out another rising concern in the foreseeable increase in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) carriers, whose cargo is very explosive. The concern is that these carriers could be hijacked and become floating bombs, threatening nearby passenger vessels and ports. Due to increasing threats like this one, many ports are beginning to see the need for in-house personnel and training to handle security threats. Capt. Gerard Pannell presented his solution to this problem, a course he helped develop, training 'in-house' response teams to respond effectively to crises and assist local and federal authorities in gathering the right information.
Steve Krivdo from the USCG, also participated Friday and spoke about TWIC cards, which are TSA issued and USCG enforced in all U.S. ports. The card, which requires a background check, allows unescorted access to the port. Persons without a TWIC card cannot enter the port without being escorted. The TWIC card is designed to keep tabs on those entering and existing the port. There has however been some controversy over the cards, which has put some mariners out of business because of failed background checks.
The conference, held at the STAR Center in Dania Beach was very informative and the STAR Center even offered up their high-tech bridge simulator to those in attendance.
Capt. Paul Kalapodas who helped coordinated this most recent event, can be contacted regarding future events in South Florida at [email protected].
www.infrgard.org