Getting inside a port and close to docked ships isn't difficult -- a factor that experts say could make it an inviting place for terrorists planning to hijack ships or use containers to smuggle weapons of mass destruction.
To combat the threat, ports have been mandated by the International Maritime Organization, a U.N. agency, to implement certain security protocalls by July 1. Not meeting the deadline could cause trade problems if countries like the United States turn away or perform lengthy inspections on ships calling at ports that do not meet the new security standards.
Ships heading to the United States from ports that do not comply with the code, for example, could be searched by the U.S. Coast Guard and, in some cases, be ordered back to sea.
By mid-June, only 654 of the 6,114 ports subject to the international security code were in compliance. And it looks like many of the remaining ports will not be ready by the deadline.
Security experts say it's impossible for authorities in any country to check all of the millions of containers that travel around the globe -- even with scanners that can see inside containers and radiation detectors to guard against concealment of radioactive material. Even before the security rules were established, many ports had tightened security.
"No one in the shipping business believes that international trade will suddenly shut down," Jim Hunter, a partner with the Merlin Risks security firm advising two Brazilian ports, told The Associated Press. "People are hoping as long as you are making a good faith effort to comply, you won't pay too high of a price for lack of performance."
The Bush administration has indicated it plans to move cautiously on enforcement.
To combat the threat, ports have been mandated by the International Maritime Organization, a U.N. agency, to implement certain security protocalls by July 1. Not meeting the deadline could cause trade problems if countries like the United States turn away or perform lengthy inspections on ships calling at ports that do not meet the new security standards.
Ships heading to the United States from ports that do not comply with the code, for example, could be searched by the U.S. Coast Guard and, in some cases, be ordered back to sea.
By mid-June, only 654 of the 6,114 ports subject to the international security code were in compliance. And it looks like many of the remaining ports will not be ready by the deadline.
Security experts say it's impossible for authorities in any country to check all of the millions of containers that travel around the globe -- even with scanners that can see inside containers and radiation detectors to guard against concealment of radioactive material. Even before the security rules were established, many ports had tightened security.
"No one in the shipping business believes that international trade will suddenly shut down," Jim Hunter, a partner with the Merlin Risks security firm advising two Brazilian ports, told The Associated Press. "People are hoping as long as you are making a good faith effort to comply, you won't pay too high of a price for lack of performance."
The Bush administration has indicated it plans to move cautiously on enforcement.
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