Container safety

Officials worry that cargo containers may be used to smuggle chemical, biological, nuclear weapons, or even terrorists themselves into the United States and other countries. The government recently released more than half of a $58 million appropriation for cargo safety.

The Transportation Security Administration plans to spend $13.3 million on five projects at ports in Seattle and Tacoma, WA. The Department of Homeland Security is negotiating with other nations to station teams of U.S. inspectors at the world’s largest cargo ports, measured by shipments to the United States. In addition, it plans to station teams of inspectors at major seaports in Muslim nations and other smaller, strategically located foreign ports.