[ OUR OPINION ]
A state House committee has recommended additional state funding for harbor security upgrades, but a sizable federal commitment is needed to protect Honolulu Harbor against terrorism. Congress passed legislation last year that provides new requirements for seaports to deter terrorist attacks, but it needs adequate funding to be effective. Don’t forget seaports
when paying for security
THE ISSUE Honolulu Harbor and other seaports continue to be underfunded in attempts to provide adequate security.
Seaports handle 95 percent of the overseas cargo trade, making shipping containers the most vulnerable means of terrorism. Although most of the foreign shipments bound for Hawaii are routed through West Coast ports, risks at mainland ports affect Hawaii. Only a small percentage of containers are inspected by the Department of Homeland Security's customs and border protection bureau.
STAR-BULLETIN / 2002
America's seaports are vulnerable targets for terrorism. A Matson liner is readied for off-loading in Honolulu Harbor.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, chairwoman of the Senate Government Affairs Committee, said at a hearing last week that U.S. authorities have begun to take measures to secure containers but still have a long way to go.
"I give them good marks for starting these initiatives, but we need to step up the pace," Collins said. "I believe this is our single greatest vulnerability."
Legislation focusing on crime, cargo theft and smuggling already was in the works when terrorists attacked America on Sept. 11, 2001. The Maritime Transportation Security Act was expanded to address terrorism, passed Congress last June and was signed into law.
The new law includes security assessment at seaports, background checks for personnel in sensitive positions, more detection equipment, and crew and cargo manifests for all incoming ships. A provision that began to be fully enforced last month requires that companies provide U.S. Customs with lists of their cargo destined for the United States at least 24 hours before departure from foreign ports.
The Coast Guard, which has a key role in seaport security, spent only 2 percent of its operating budget on port security before the Sept. 11 attacks. Security now accounts for more than 22 percent of its budget. It has not been provided adequate federal funding to defray those costs.
Hawaii requested more than $4 million after the Sept. 11 attacks to bolster security at Honolulu Harbor, but in June had received only $650,000. The state should not be required to go to the rescue of operations that are under federal direction.
Seaport security may be given less attention than airport security because harbors are not as visible to most people, but it is equally if not more important to the nation's safety. Shipping containers that have been used for years by drug smugglers and gun dealers are potential vehicles for weapons of mass destruction.
"We can better protect the entire supply chain against potential exploitation by terrorists and terrorist weapons," Asa Hutchinson, undersecretary of homeland security, told the Senate committee. Congress should not make his department rely on state governments to pay the bill.
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Published by Oahu Publications Inc., a subsidiary of Black Press.Don Kendall, Publisher
Frank Bridgewater, Editor 529-4791; fbridgewater@starbulletin.com
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Lucy Young-Oda, Assistant Editor 529-4762; lyoungoda@starbulletin.comMary Poole, Editorial Page Editor, 529-4748; mpoole@starbulletin.com
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