Of course I read it. Did you? I posted it because it discusses what a mess our current system is. It emphasized how disabling a terror attack via container would be to trade, since then it would require security that would cause massive gridlock. It requires that we pay attention to the vulnerability of our system from transit start to transit finish.
Also the details of security screening are the linchpin of the current system which checks only 5% of the riskiest. Do you want a UAE company to have those details?
And yes the system in Hong Kong sounds interesting:
"Asean and the EU should also endorse a pilot project being sponsored by the Container Terminal Operators Association (CTOA) of Hong Kong, in which every container that arrives passes through a gamma-ray content-scanning machine, as well as a radiation portal to record the levels of radioactivity within the container. Optical character recognition cameras then photograph the number painted on several sides of the container. These scanned images, radiation profiles, and digital photos are then stored in a database where they can be immediately retrieved if necessary.
The marine terminals in Hong Kong have invested in this system because they hope that a 100% scanning regime will deter a terrorist organization from placing a weapon of mass destruction in a container passing through their port facilities. Since each container’s contents are scanned, if a terrorist tries to shield radioactive material to defeat the radiation portals, it will be relatively easy to detect the shielding material because of its density.
Another reason for making this investment is to minimize the disruption associated with targeting containers for portside inspection. The system allows the container to receive a remote preliminary inspection without the container leaving the marine terminal. "
Yes, I did read the article. And I was taken with the Hong Kong system as you were. But that has to do with security, and the subject we were discussing is a contract for container movement. Our Coast Guard has the responsibility for security, and that's a totally different subject.
We haven't subcontracted security, but if the Coast Guard can learn something from the Chinese, that's good.
But it has nothing to do with this contract.