Container Security Struggles for Standards

Governments and port authorities acknowledge that the 17 million cargo containers in use around the world are a weak link in national security arrangements. Importers/ exporters and manufacturers understand that poor container security poses a risk to the goods they contain. Yet because there are so many players in the global freight ecosystem, and the problem is distributed in thousands of ports and transport hubs around the world, attempts to improve it have been inadequate.

The implementation of an agreed standard for electronic container security could reduce the incidence of security measures by other means.

Governments and port authorities acknowledge that the 17 million cargo containers in use around the world are a weak link in national security arrangements. Importers/ exporters and manufacturers understand that poor container security poses a risk to the goods they contain. Yet because there are so many players in the global freight ecosystem, and the problem is distributed in thousands of ports and transport hubs around the world, attempts to improve it have been inadequate.