U.S. stepping up efforts to secure ports.

The biggest challenge facing the maritime transportation industry is ensuring that legitimate cargo is not needlessly delayed as new security measures are implemented, said retired Coast Guard Adm. James M. Loy, deputy secretary of homeland security.

According to Loy, every year more than 7,500 ships make port calls, carrying 6.5 million passengers, six million containers and one billion tons of petroleum, all contributing in excess of $1 trillion to the nation's annual Gross Domestic Product.

"All in all, 95 percent of our commerce is carried through our seaports, and there's no let-up on the horizon," he said.

Ships and ports are more valuable to the global economy than any other form of transportation, said Loy.

"After September 11, it took days to restore movement by aviation; the aftermath of losing several ports would be measured in months, if not years," he said.

Since the terrorists attacks in 2001, the will to improve port security has grown, said Loy. "One would truly have to be brain-dead to fail to recognize the legitimacy of the threat."

The establishment of the Maritime Transportation Security Act requiring port officials, ships' captains and facility operators to submit security plans to the Department of Homeland Security, will also increase security, said Loy.

Steps are also being taken by DHS to screen nearly 100 percent of cargo before it enters U.S. ports, he said.

Under the Container Security Initiative, U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspectors are placed at top seaports around the world to work with their foreign counterparts on screening and labeling cargo as "higher-risk" or "low-risk," said Loy.

A new "24-hour rule" requires electronic transmission of cargo manifests from U.S.-bound cargo ships one day in advance of loading, said Loy. That information is run through the Advanced Targeting System, which compares it against law enforcement data, the latest threat analysis and the ships' history, he added.

High-risk cargo is physically inspected before it is allowed to leave port. Last summer inspectors using the KFS seized a cache of weapons bound for El Salvador, he said.

Additionally; a new DHS requirement mandates that all foreign-flag vessels check in 96 hours before arriving in any U.S. port.

Since 9/11, the U.S. Coast Guard has boarded about 15,000 vessels, said Loy.