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American Morning

Security of Nation's Ports Questionable; Interview of Senator Hollings on Port Security Bill

Aired December 11, 2001 - 09:13   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Efforts to tighten up on security for air and rail travel have gotten plenty of attention since the September 11th attacks, but there are also concerns about port security. At least five million cargo containers come through the more than 300 ports around the country every year, but only 2 percent of that cargo is actually inspected. Our John Zarrella is standing by at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with more on that. Good morning, John.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN MIAMI BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning, Paula. That's exactly right. Since September 11th, of course, there has been a tremendous step-up in the level of security at the nation's ports. As you can see here behind me, the Broward Sheriff's Office, augmented by the Florida National Guard, is at one of three checkpoints here at Fort Everglades inspecting ships, inspecting trucks, they are inspecting cars and trucks as they come through, and asking people where they are going, what they are doing here.

There are four ports in Florida. Here, Fort Everglades, the port of Miami, port of Tampa, and over at the port of Canaveral where the National Guard -- 336 National Guard Troops are stationed and helping out.

Now, I ran into a man yesterday who had just gotten off of a cruise ship, and he was telling me that it took him an hour and a half to get on the cruise ship before he left, going through heavy, heavy security. That's another one of the things that has been implemented. People's luggage is being randomly searched as they get on cruise ships. There are dogs that -- bomb-sniffing dogs that are on some of those cruise ships, or at the entrances to those cruise ships. Metal detectors on those cruise ships, and special security teams, plainclothes, on the nation's cruise ships.

That's going on at ports all over the country. Now, when those cruise ships leave the ports, all over the country, or return, they're being escorted in and out of the ports by the United States Coast Guard. That is one of the United States Coast Guard's biggest responsibilities in this stepped-up domestic homeland defense. Out in California, they're taking it a step further. They are not only escorting cruise ships, but on every ship, the Coast Guard actually has boarding teams that get on the ships 12 miles out, take over the bridge, get on the bridge, and then bring the ships in to make sure there are no problems. But, as you mentioned, one of the biggest concerns that lawmakers in this country have is right here. What you're looking at is containerized cargo. There are tons and tons and tons of containerized cargo that come into the United States all the time, and many of the nation's lawmakers are very concerned that because U.S. Customs is completely overworked, over-strapped, there is no way to go through very much. As you mentioned, only 2 percent of the containerized cargo that comes into the nation is actually inspected, and because of that, so much could possibly get through that could fall into the hands of terrorism, and to terrorists.

And that's one of the issues that lawmakers want to see addressed with a major bill that they want to see passed, which will allow for security measures, including metal detectors, that they could check and search through containerized cargo to help prevent what could be terrorists getting things into the country in this manner -- Paula.

ZAHN: John Zarrella, thanks so much. Later today, the Senate will actually vote on a plan to increase funding for port security. The -- many of the issues John just raised in his report. It includes, among other things, criminal background checks for port workers, ship manifests sent ahead electronically before the ship gets clearance, $703 million to local ports and U.S. Customs to improve security, and more than $3 billion in government-backed loans.

South Carolina Senator Ernest Hollings co-sponsored the bill. He joins me now from Capitol Hill to take on the question, how vulnerable are U.S. ports? Good morning, Senator. Thanks so much for joining us on this busy day.

SEN. ERNEST F. HOLLINGS (D), SOUTH CAROLINA: Good morning, Paula.

ZAHN: So, Senator, do you want to take a stab at that question? Just how vulnerable are U.S. ports?

HOLLINGS: Well, it's just been reported totally, and, you know, 2 percent of the containers being looked at, that means that 98% of any and everything that's coming in -- we've just seen containers starting in Italy, went all the way through Germany and Europe, landing in Ireland with dead bodies in it. We've found another container that a terrorist had started in Italy, where he had a telephone, he had maps for all the airports here, and special counterfeited passes and what have you.

We know that bin Laden understands this, because he used the port of Mombasa in Kenya to bring about the blowing up of the embassies at Kenya and in Tanzania. So, he's got interests in about seven shipping lines. Lloyds of London reported he actually has got controlling interest in 20 ships. So we are on to the real next threat. I believe it's going to come through the ports.

You could bring one of these containers, unsearched, unscanned, coming into New York, trigger -- full of anthrax down into Times Square. Instead of killing 4,000, you could kill 4 million. ZAHN: Well, Senator, let me ask this. Many Americans hearing this statistic for the first time, I'm sure, are stunned that only 2 percent of these containerized cargo holds are actually inspected. How can that be? Why is that?

HOLLINGS: Well, the name of the game in port operations heretofor (ph) has been move it, move it faster. If your port could move it faster and get it out and get it loaded or whatever, then that was the port of choice. So, now, you've got to go to security, and none of them really have -- we've got to organize, coagulate the Coast Guard, the immigration service, the ports authority.

All of the particular agencies at the port have to come in now with the customs and start working together, and that's what the plan does. This particular bipartisan bill was unanimously supported (ph) out before September the 11th. We've been onto this for 2 or 3 years, and we were looking for drugs, to tell you the truth. Now, we're looking for terrorism.

ZAHN: Senator, I wanted to share with you a little bit of what one of your Democratic colleagues had to say on the air, Jane Harman, about her constituents in particular, and the danger she believes they face. Let's listen to what she had to say last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JANE HARMAN (D), CALIFORNIA: Like L.A. and Long Beach, many seaports are located at the center of large urban populations. Many port complexes around the country include fuel farms, adjacent military bases, power plants, pipeline facilities, construction yards and multi-modal transportation networks. We have one right here. It's called the Alameda Corridor. The potential for collateral damage is enormous if these ports are attacked.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: Senator, if this bill ultimately passes, how quickly will Americans see any results?

HOLLINGS: It won't be quick. To have thorough, 100 percent security, it's going to take -- well, I'm not going to give a period of time, but starting (ph) them to work together and starting getting the scanners like we have down in Miami, that sees not only as x-ray, but the heat shields can actually discern nuclear materials and that kind of thing. That's the kind of thing that has got to be at every particular port. We've got 361 ports, 50 main ports. The one out there -- one of them on the West Coast is operated by the Chinese government.

So we've got to get in on this thing immediately and make sure, for example, not one of bin Laden's tankers come in, but you can hijack an Exxon oil tanker with four or five people. You get four of five martyrs and could run it into the Golden Gate Bridge, out there in California, or the Brooklyn Bridge here on the East Coast. So, it's -- it's really what worries me more than anything else, and Senator Graham of Florida and I have been working on this for several years.

ZAHN: I know you say the bill has bipartisanship support, and I only have about 10 seconds left. Do you think it's a sure shot that it's going to pass?

HOLLINGS: Yes. We finally have the O.M.B. and Secretary Mineta. The administration approves, now, of our bill, and I think just waits its turn this week. We'll get it up and pass it.

ZAHN: All right. Senator Hollings, delighted to have you with us this morning. Thank you very much for your time.

HOLLINGS: Thank you.

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