The Hindu Business Line : Safety for boxes in transit

An important global maritime announcement last month went unnoticed in this part of the world. On June 29, the International Container Security Organisation (ICSO) was launched in Brussels, Belgium.

The purpose of this non-profit business organisation is to develop international standards for inter-modal freight container security to counter the threat from terrorism and organised crime to the staggering euro 7 trillion annual international trade in goods.

Over 90 per cent of all goods moved internationally is carried in containers, and around eight million freight boxes land each year in American ports alone.

Some of the best global companies have joined the ICSO to develop and publish global standards for container security devices (CSDs) and related systems. The companies include General Electric, GreenLine Systems, JP Morgan Chase, Mitsubishi Corporation, Siemens AG and Unisys Corporation.

The member companies share the objective of rapidly improving in-transit container security by quickly defining global standards to help protect international commerce, according to the ICSO. The organisation is welcoming affiliated members from corporations, government, public agencies and individuals who share the objective of rapidly improving in-transit freight container security by defining global standards.

Impact for India

For India, the announcement may not have any significant impact today. But in future Indian companies should be part of the organisation even as containerisation in the country is growing. The country's container traffic is likely to double to 10 million TEUs (twenty foot equivalent units) by 2010, according to an industry source.

Use of technology is the major objective of the ICSO to develop the security standards. India's prowess in the information technology sector is well known, and joining the organisation would help Indian companies penetrate the global maritime trade, and develop solutions for the industry, the source said.

In the US, of total imports and exports during 2004 over $520 billion worth goods were carried by containers, equating to approximately $1.43 billion worth of containerised goods moved through US ports each day. The combined value of European Union's exports and imports of goods during 2004 was approximately euro 2 trillion. Damage to the global economy from a terrorist activity at a major seaport is estimated to be as high as $1 trillion, the ICSO said.

Practical technology

The ICSO will use the experience and knowledge of its members to develop timely solutions to the most pressing security challenges. It follows the precedent of other business consortiums that press ahead with self-regulated efforts in order to rapidly deploy technologies for practical and inter-operable use such as Bluetooth, wireless telephones, Memory Stick, and Wi-Fi.

The ICSO will develop and recommend standards for notifying the Customs, other appropriate authorities, and authorised business personnel when shipments and containers are compromised during transit, as well as set standards for cost effective devices that detect and report in-transit container intrusions and other irregularities. The ICSO will also specify standards for future enhancements to CSD technologies, such as add-on sensor capabilities. It will also detail how the CSD systems will store data, transfer information between authorised parties, and ensure security and privacy of business data.

According to the ICSO, companies wishing to manufacture solutions for container security have no standards on which to provide products and services. The ICSO's work opens the gates to competitive solutions by giving manufacturers the certainty they need to determine whether to enter the market with CSD-related solutions.

As container security technologies are developed and new standards are released, creative new ideas and systems are certain to build on ICSO's standard platforms, just as businesses are developing creative new uses for wireless Bluetooth or Wi-Fi devices. For example, the ICSO will publish standards for sensors so that any company can design compatible devices.

The ICSO will develop standards for container security devices and related systems only, and will share relevant information with interested organisations.

The ICSO is distinct from the International Standards Organisation, and is not expected to be in conflict. Ultimately, the ICSO may propose its completed standards to ISO or other complementary standards-developing bodies.

The ICSO will develop standards in four areas related to in-transit freight container security:

CSDs: Cost effective container security devices that detect and report in-transit container intrusions and other irregularities.

Information flows and alerts: Information systems that notify Customs and/or authorised personnel when containers are compromised during transit, and communicate logistics information about those shipments.

Application interfaces and messaging formats for CSD data, including electronic data interchange: Information technologies to securely store data, to securely transfer data between authorised parties, and to ensure business data privacy.

Sensors and add-on capabilities: Integration and communication standards for additional capabilities in CSD systems, such as radiation or chemical detectors and temperature and humidity sensors.

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