Panelists Doubt All Cargo Can Be Totally Secure

ASHINGTON — For cargo security to be effective, the entire supply chain from production to delivery must be protected and screened by both private enterprise and the government, speakers at the North American Cargo Security Forum said here Oct. 18 and 19.

Several speakers at presentations and roundtables said cargo security was not what it should be and they doubted freight could ever be properly secured. Others said security had improved since the 9/11 attacks and would get better with time and public and private investment.

“As long as a shipper can load a container in his garage somewhere in the world, put it on a truck and take it to a port, there’s no telling what’s in that container,” said Giles Noakes, chief executive officer of Jigsaw Container Logistics Co. in Great Britain.