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Amid rising concerns that Chinese-made giant cargo cranes found at U.S. ports could be a security concern are new reports that communications devices have been found within the mammoth cranes. A report in the Wall Street Journal, citing congressional aides and documents, said cellular modems have been found that could be remotely accessed. The finding is potentially serious, because ZPMC, a China-based manufacturer, has made about 80 percent of the cranes that unload ships at U.S. ports. China “is looking for every opportunity to collect valuable intelligence and position themselves to exploit vulnerabilities by systematically burrowing into America’s critical infrastructure,...

An investigation has revealed suspicious communications devices inside Chinese-made cargo cranes used widely at US ports, supporting fears that the equipment could be part of an espionage plot. Cranes made by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries (ZPMC), a state-owned Chinese company, in some cases carry cellular modems, according to a congressional investigation reported by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday. The modems offer a potential backdoor for remote access, and do not appear to support the normal operations of the equipment, the investigation found. The discovery of the modems, which had not been previously disclosed, supports growing fears in US intelligence...

The global supply chain, and particularly the North American supply chain, have been in crisis for about a year. There are a lot of reasons for this, almost entirely government-created, and it appears that the federal government has finally noticed it. Joe Biden has been a lifeguard, lawyer, city councilman, senator, and vice president. While it’s hard to tell what he is now, he has gone public with a request to hear from the American people on this matter, and he has said that he will welcome advice. It would be a first for him, but we will try, anyway....

<p>Democrat U.S. Senator Tom Carper of Delaware is assisting Middle Eastern seaports company Gulftainer in taking over U.S. strategic ports, threatening U.S. critical infrastructure and U.S. national security.</p> <p>Senator Carper is closely tied to longtime U.S. adversaries Iran and the Vietnamese communist regime, despite the fact that Senator Carper served in Vietnam.</p>

China has often been accused of luring the poor African countries in its debt-trap by providing them loans for much-needed infrastructure projects and then control them when they fail to pay off their debts. Tanzania President John Magufuli has cancelled a Chinese loan worth $10 billion signed by his predecessor Jakaya Kikwete to construct a port at Mbegani creek in Bagamoyo over terms and conditions that, he said, beat the logic. Magufuli said that the terms of the Chinese loan agreement could only be accepted by a drunken man. His predecessor, Jakaya Kikwete had signed the deal with Chinese...

Expected post-Lunar New Year cargo growth will accelerate equipment, cargo handling and other costs going forward, maintain ocean carrier executives. While the full impact on ocean carrier deployments to U.S. West Coat ports has yet to be measured, major players comprising the Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (TSA) are standing firm on raising rates. According to TSA spokesman, Niels Erich, container shipping lines have begun the slow work of repairing their networks as U.S. West Coast congestion difficulties ease. “At the same time, forward bookings suggest that post-Lunar New Year cargo demand will resume after the week-long Asia holidays and continue to...

Venezuela's military has taken control of key airports and sea ports under the terms of a move rubber-stamped by parliament a week ago, reports say. The move centralises the running of the country's main transport hubs. President Hugo Chavez has pushed for the move, describing it as "reunifying the motherland, which was in pieces". Critics of Mr Chavez says the plans are unconstitutional, but the National Assembly backed them a week ago, saying they would improve essential services. State-level governments in Venezuela have controlled the country's most important airports, sea ports and major highways since a move towards decentralisation began...

A so-called “NAFTA Superhighway” earned support from the city’s mayor and discussion among residents Monday during a public hearing on the Texas Department of Transportation’s I-69 project. TxDOT held a public hearing at the Brownsville Events Center Monday to explain the progress of the Trans-Texas Corridor, a future segment of Highway I-69, which will link the U.S.-Mexico border to the U.S.-Canada border. After a short presentation, the floor was open for comments. Among the local politicians, college students and retirees at the hearing there was a wide range of opinion on the project. According to Mario Jorge, district engineer for...

We are exactly one month away from the second annual Texas Transportation Forum to be held July 18–20 in Austin at the Hilton Austin located at 500 East 4th Street, one block north of the Austin Convention Center. Local, regional and state leaders will join national experts in exploring the solutions to "Keep Texas Moving." The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the Associated General Contractors of Texas, the Texas Good Roads Transportation Association, and the Texas Transportation Institute are co-hosts for the event. The keynote speaker for the opening session on July 19 will be Alan E. Pisarski, author of...

With a major interstate running right through our area traffic is a common topic for Central Texans. How do we solve the problem of more traffic on i-35? Is the Trans Texas Corridor a realistic solution and do we even need it? In part two of our Trans Texas Corridor series we look at the project from a needs angle. There are basically two sides to the Trans Texas Corridor project, those for it and those against. One thing both sides gree on is that something needs to be done. There are twenty one million Texas residents. 45 percent of...

WASHINGTON -- Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta announced on Tuesday a White House initiative to relieve highway, aviation and freight congestion, largely with the help of private fees and tolls. "Congestion is not a fact of life. We need a new approach and we need it now," he said. The plan includes fast-tracking a modernized air traffic control system and building extra-wide interstate highways that could serve as "corridors of the future," he said. Because of "trucks stalled in traffic, cargo sitting on the dock at overwhelmed seaports (and) airplanes circling over crowded airports, congestion is costing America an estimated $200...

SARASOTA, FL (NS/AP) - Dubai Ports World has now offered to delay part of its $6.8 BILLION deal to take over Administrative Operations at 6 U.S. Seaport's... There is NO way that ANY of our Nation's Seaport's should be for sale to ANYBODY! The recent announcement disclosing a Company owned by a Nation with links to Terrorism, the United Arab Emerates (UAE), was going to take over 6 of our Nation's Seaport's with the United Kingdom (UK) run Port Administrative and Management Company has met a strong challenge against this happening... With only 6-8% of our Imported Containers actually being...

Former President Jimmy Carter downplayed criticism of White House support of an Arab-owned company's purchase of a major seaport-operations firm. BY LESLEY CLARK lclark@MiamiHerald.com WASHINGTON - President Bush is taking a battering from fellow Republicans, even the governors of New York and Maryland, over the administration's support for a decision that gives an Arab company control of some commercial operations at six major seaports -- including Miami-Dade's. But he got a boost Monday from an unlikely source, frequent critic and former president Jimmy Carter, who downplayed fears that the deal poses a risk. ''The overall threat to the United States...

Bush isn't protecting our seaports? Shadow War: The Untold Story of How Bush is Winning the War on Terror | 2004 | Richard Miniter Posted on 10/18/2004 6:49:46 AM PDT by TexasTaysor (John Kerry stated in the 3rd debate that our seaports were not being protected, that Bush had failed miserably and he would do it better. Bush is doing it just fine.) Chapter 5 - Terror At Sea “This is the story of that war, one that America and it’s allies have unequivocally won so far. It is the largely untold tale of ingenious terrorist plots, modern-day pirates, and...

(John Kerry stated in the 3rd debate that our seaports were not being protected, that Bush had failed miserably and he would do it better. Bush is doing it just fine.) Chapter 5 - Terror At Sea “This is the story of that war, one that America and it’s allies have unequivocally won so far. It is the largely untold tale of ingenious terrorist plots, modern-day pirates, and attack on a French-flagged oil tanker, the high-speed pursuit of bin Laden’s fifteen-ship fleet, the capture of the “al Qaeda admiral,” the killings of two key al Qaeda operatives, and the ominous...

Security increased as terror threat targets I-95 Email to a Friend Printer Friendly Version BRIDGEPORT -- A terror threat targets Connecticut's busiest stretch of highway, the Interstate-95 corridor in Bridgeport. State police began stepping up security in the area Thursday. The response is a coordinated effort between local and state police, the Coast Guard, and Homeland Security. People taking the port Jefferson ferry to long island underwent police checks of vehicles at the docks today. One of the more visible signs of the increased security measures put into place after authorities received information that Bridgeport could be targeted. "It's nerve-wracking...

New Orleans to Become One of the Country's First Ports to Institute a New Monitoring System Mar 24, 2004 By Doug Simpson / Associated Press Writer NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Since 1936, a lone federal worker has sat in a tower along the Mississippi River, scanning the water with binoculars and radioing ship captains on whether to proceed or stop their vessels. Not for long. The radioman will be gone by the end of the year, replaced by a new computerized system that will track and send messages to all large vessels on the lower Mississippi. The system will be...

Mansoor Ijaz was on Greta's show, he gave a detailed analysis about some very disturbing accounts on the various sea lanes. He mentioned that the Straits of Mollucca, between Singapore, Indonesia, and Maylasia have always been a hotbed of piracy, but recent events have raised alarms. It seems like many ships have been hijacked in the last few months by Islamic radicals but rather than stealing the cargo or kidnapping the crews these terrorists have just wanted to know how to steer the big ships! He compared this to the 9/11 terrorists going to the various flight schools only wanting...

Foreign visitors arriving at U.S. airports or seaports beginning Jan. 1, 2004, will have their travel documents scanned, fingerprints and photos taken and identification checked against terrorist watchlists. Homeland Security undersecretary Asa Hutchinson released details Monday of the department's new U.S. Visitor and Immigration Status Indication Technology, or U.S. VISIT, that will check the comings and goings of certain foreign travelers. The checks will apply to people who arrive in this country carrying visas, which last year was about 60 percent or 23 million of the foreign visitors, said Hutchinson, who oversees Border and Transportation Security. "In 99.9 percent of...