NYC-WTC_000152373

-<

i LIKE GIANT SIEVE o C0

■0 c CT o’ -0 o 3. 03 cn O o o c 3

OUR PORTS LEAK CD 3.

either in the United States taking little more action ers each year. Customs

Less than 2% of or is about to be intro­ duced here, and we’re going through everything.” On Friday, the National than confiscating their film and checking their immi­ gration status. Poor security at wharves sources say the volume ha.s already grown beyond the 400 inspectors as­ signed to local ports.

car inspected w “We should be boarding Guard drove a mobile X-ray van to the Port of Newark to help speed in­ spections, sources said. and the limited inspection of cargo containers were highlighted in an address by former Sen. Warren Customs spokesman Dennis Murphy confirmed only a small percentage of all containers were in­ By AL GUART every ship, speaking with But security at many Rudman to the Senate spected, but said the Seaports around the na­ the captain and checking local wharves still remains Governmental Affairs agency used an electronic tion remain ripe targets lax. A Post photographer Committee on Sept. 21 — system to track all incom­ all the paperwork.” was unchallenged at the ing cargo. He said contain­ for terror, with millions of Some officials fear a con­ 10 days after the terror at­ cargo containers entering Port of Newark last week tacks on the World Trade ers were identified for in­ tainer stacked with explo­ as he took pictures of the the country without being sives or other harmful Center and the Pentagon. spection based on the wharves, buildings and “We were shocked to cargo inside and the origin checked, concerned fed­ products could be un­ container-unloading oper­ hear that the Customs and destination of the eral officials told The Post. loaded from a ship and ations. i shipment. While inspections have transported on a tractor­ Service currently has the It is a worrying weak­ capacity to inspect only 1 “We know a great deal been beefed up since the trailer through populated ness in security at one of areas without ever being or 2 percent of all ship­ about the containers that terrorist attacks, less than the nation’s gateways -i- arrive,” Murphy said. “We 2 percent of the 6 million checked upon its arrival in ments received from over­ particularly after a secu­ seas in our country,” Rud­ have used these systems to. cargo containers that are the country. rity bungle involving pho­ look for illegal drugs, arid shipped into U.S. ports an- Customs officers last man said. “This has to nually are opened for in­ tographers in lower Man­ change.” we’re applying those sys­ week began working with tems today to any move­ fection, U.S. Customs of­ National Guardsmen and hattan in June, a lapse first Rudman said the oppor­ Port Authority cops to exposed by The Post in a tunities for terrorists to ment of terrorist or teWor- ficials concede. dst products.” And the agency’s inspec­ conduct more thorough in­ story published July 1. ! sneak weapons of masS de­ tors do not routinely spections of containers at On that occasion, three struction through noh-m- board ocean tankers ports in New York and in men who appeared to be spected shipments into the_ loaded with flammable Newark and Elizabeth, of Middle Eastern descent United States would con­ and hazardous chemicals, sources said. “The seaports are wide open,” a Customs official N.J., before cargo is road- transported. A Customs official said at the time they were were arrested after being spotted acting suspiciously and taking pictures of downtown government tinue to rise, with the vol­ ume of containers arriving at our ports expected to double within four years. NLfPOs/- told The Post. “searching for some type of weapon. We believe it is buildings. The men were released by the EBI after Ports in the New York- New Jersey region handle about 1.7 million contain­ q/30/0/