Los Angeles port tightens security

The port of Los Angeles in southern California is tightening its ship emission policy and boosting maritime security, the port's executive director said in an interview on Tuesday.
Amid concerns about securing the US borders and preventing potential terror attacks at strategic facilities, the port has doubled its police force to 200 and increased surveillance of ships with the help of more cameras and patrol boats.
"We are increasing our physical presence in the port," Dr Geraldine Knatz said. "We are installing a new screening system at the cruise passenger terminal this year."
The system will be used on both passengers and baggages. The port handled about 8.46 million 20-foot equivalent units of containers in 2006, up 13.16 percent from the previous year. The port authority is also expected to roll out the next phase of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program in July, she said.
The federal program requires security screening of all workers with unescorted access to ports, rising the number subject to checks to 850,000 from about 400,000 workers, who were required to be screened early last year in the TWIC's first phase.
"We will enrolling the truckers this summer," Knatz said. "We heard about the potential high percentage of illegal aliens, but we don't know for sure." Some trade associations and longshoremen unions expressed concerns about the potential violation of port workers' civil liberties, though they are supportive of the increased port-security measure. The stringent screening may slow down port activity and reduce manpower working at the ports.
For ship emission reduction measures, the port of Los Angeles requires all terminal operators to use clean burning diesel in their ships' auxiliary and main engines within 24 nautical miles of shore if they seek to renew their lease contracts or permits for upgrading works, Knatz said.
"We are ahead of the state for ship emission control," she said. The state requires all ships to use low-sulphur diesel only in the auxiliary engines when approaching the shore.
However, some shipping companies such as A.P. Moller-Maersk Line is already using marine diesel in both engines when approaching Californian ports. The cost of marine diesel is about double the price of high-sulphur marine fuel oil.
The port is also gradually hooking up ships at the berths with onshore power supply, eradicating the need for ships to burn fuel onboard, she said. So far, only China Shipping terminal has the ability to power up its ships at the berths, but NYK Line is expected to follow suit soon, Knatz said.
"It's a major construction project, and we are an operating port," she said, explaining that the conversion of all terminals with onshore power supplies for ships would take time.