U.S., Singapore work on nuke security

WASHINGTON, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- The United States and Singapore have launched a new plan to cooperate on international nuclear security.

The plan was launched "to enhance existing efforts to scan U.S.-bound cargo and help prevent the illicit trafficking of nuclear and radiological material. The port of Singapore is one of the largest transshipment ports in the world," the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration said in a statement Dec. 17.

The NNSA said it would "provide radiation detection equipment and associated infrastructure and help to train the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection -- CBP -- and Singapore officials to use this equipment."

"NNSA provides the means for screening more and more cargo to prevent nuclear materials or devices from being smuggled into the United States and ports around the world," said NNSA Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation William Tobey.

"The announcement establishes the U.S. government's Secure Freight Initiative -- SFI -- in the Brani Terminal at the port of Singapore. The initiative, which is aimed at keeping dangerous, smuggled material out of U.S.-bound cargo, is a joint effort implemented overseas between NNSA, CBP and the Department of State," the NNSA said.

"SFI was established to evaluate the feasibility of scanning 100 percent of all cargo bound for the United States with radiation detection and non-intrusive imaging equipment. Through NNSA's Megaports Initiative, full operational testing of SFI equipment began in October of 2007 at Port Qasim in Pakistan, Puerto Cortes in Honduras and at the Port of Southampton in (Britain)," the agency said.

"Singapore is part of the second group of international partners assisting NNSA and CBP in evaluating integrated cargo radiation detection and non-intrusive imaging capabilities. The new arrangement will be on a pilot basis in Singapore at the Brani Terminal, with a focus on scanning transshipment cargo," the NNSA said.

"Ports in Hong Kong, South Korea, and Oman are also implementing SFI in a limited, pilot capacity. The results of the four pilot projects will be used to provide guidance on future expansions of SFI," it said.