Access Control
& Security Systems

Addressing cargo crime on a broad scale can have a far-reaching impact on the overall security of the maritime industry, American Science and Engineering Inc. CEO and president Ralph Sheridan said in a presentation at the International Maritime Security Summit last week.

Sheridan presented technology solutions at the Washington D.C., event sponsored by the Maritime Security Council. He discussed the role of inspection technologies to scan containers without slowing the flow of commerce.

"The anonymity of sea containers hides a $650 billion problem of cargo crime that spans drug smuggling, trade fraud, cargo theft, weapons smuggling and illegal immigration," Sheridan said. "By addressing the broader problem of cargo crime, the industry can: improve the likelihood of finding terrorist threats; create a deterrent effect by making cargo off limits to crime and terrorism; and achieve a substantial economic benefit with the reduction of smuggling, theft and trade fraud."

American Science and Engineering is based in Billerica, Mass., and markets X-ray inspection products.

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