I have to agree with you that waterway ports are the busiest at the same time I do not believe that are the hardest to secure. Living here in Jacksonville, FL I have several ports around me. There is Jacksonville Port Authority (Jaxport) that controls three cargo terminals, a cruise terminal and an intermodal rail terminal. Blount Island (controlled by the Marines) is one terminal that I am familiar with because of the military. This facility has some of the tightest security even more than some operational bases. There waterway is controlled by security vessels armed with heavy caliber weapons. A few guys that fish near the terminal complain that they cannot get close enough to the good fishing spots because they get escorted out of the area. They do not realize the treat that they pose as a waterborne weapon to the security force reactions teams. Do you think the rules should be relaxed for the fishing boats? I cannot tell you how many times I have heard that comment.
…show more content…
This was established by Congress as a way to mitigate attacks against all ports in the country. The major requirements for MTSA include “conducting vulnerability assessments for ports and vessels, developing security plans for ports and vessels and developing the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)” (GAO, 2010, 1). How do you feel having foreign workers with credential to access ports that have been screened by other countries? In the Navy we do this when needed. Sometimes while on deployment we may be in need of repairs and may have foreign workers that have been cleared to assist with the work. It is a partnership between countries that is made up of trust. Keep in mind they workers are not allowed to access secure areas and they are escorted and
This was established by Congress as a way to mitigate attacks against all ports in the country. The major requirements for MTSA include “conducting vulnerability assessments for ports and vessels, developing security plans for ports and vessels and developing the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)” (GAO, 2010, 1). How do you feel having foreign workers with credential to access ports that have been screened by other countries? In the Navy we do this when needed. Sometimes while on deployment we may be in need of repairs and may have foreign workers that have been cleared to assist with the work. It is a partnership between countries that is made up of trust. Keep in mind they workers are not allowed to access secure areas and they are escorted and