U.S. 2012 deadline to screen cargo likely to be missed

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A 2012 deadline to screen all cargo entering the United States by ship will likely be missed without enormous new investment and resources, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said on Wednesday.

Concerns were raised after the September 11, 2001, attacks that a nuclear or other weapon of mass destruction could be smuggled into the country by sea. In response, Congress ordered that all cargo be screened before being placed on U.S.-bound ships.

"DHS is compelled to seek time extensions authorized by law with respect to the scanning provision," Napolitano told the Senate Commerce Committee. The law permits extensions in two-year increments beyond the July 2012 deadline.

She cited a lack of new technology to adequately screen containers as well as the enormous expense. Napolitano did not say when she expected to seek the additional time but stressed that efforts to screen cargo would continue.

One of the difficulties faced by the agency has been cost. Napolitano said it would cost $8 million per shipping lane for scanning equipment and that there are 2,100 lanes at more than 700 ports around the world that send cargo to the United States.

Additionally, ports would potentially have to be reconfigured to include screening equipment.

Napolitano also noted that some countries were resisting U.S. demands to have screening processes installed in their ports, and there was the possibility that countries could retaliate against the United States.

The Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, released a report on Wednesday detailing some of the problems the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency has had with some initial efforts to set up screening in foreign ports.

"Scanning operations at the initial SFI (Secure Freight Initiative) ports have encountered a number of challenges, such as logistical problems with containers transferred from rail or other vessels," the report said. CBP is part of Napolitano's department.

"And CBP officials are concerned that they and participating ports cannot overcome them," it said.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, appeared sympathetic to the difficulties and questioned whether the 2012 deadline could be met.

"I have my questions about whether that's doable," he said. "That does not mean that we should not continue to strengthen our security protocols to prevent high-risk cargo from entering this country whether by land, sea or air."

(Reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky)