Chapter 1 - Trade, Terrorists, Shipping, and Cargo Containers

Summary

Are sea container shipping and its land links in the global supply chain vulnerable to a major terrorist attack? Many officials in the United States, Asia and Europe believe so. Here are some samples:

The system is vulnerable to exploitation by international terrorist organisations. A cargo container loaded up with any kind of nuclear or radiological weapon would have a potentially catastrophic effect, not only in loss of life but to the US economy and the economies of every trading nation in the world. While the threat is hopefully small, the effects could be so great that anybody in my position would have to be concerned.

Robert Bonner, US Customs and Border Protection Commissioner

One major challenge to the marine industry is global terrorism. The 9/11 attacks, and subsequently the discovery of the Jemaah Islamiyah group in Singapore, showed that terrorism is a problem of global scale. Terrorists are operating through international networks. There is growing concern that their next attack may be via ships and shipping containers. This would not only inflict heavy casualties and damage to property, but also disrupt the wheels of international commerce. This can potentially cripple international trade…

Lee Hsien Loong, Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore

The massive flow of containers around the world makes global maritime transport an essential part of the world economy and makes it almost impossible to picture the disastrous consequences which a terrorist attack would have on global freight supply systems. Borders would be closed; ships might not be allowed to enter ports. There would be a complete disruption of the global supply chain with enormous consequences for the global economy.

Frits Bolkestein, European Commission member in charge of the EU's Internal Market, Taxation and Customs.

What's at Stake and Why?

Given the vast scale of the global shipping and cargo container industry and its vulnerability to acts of terrorism, better security is vital when the risk of weapons of mass destruction reaching international terrorists is rising.