5 - Vulnerabilities in the Cargo Supply Chain

Abstract

The cargo supply chain which transports the products we eat, wear, drive, and utilize daily is vulnerable to penetration and unauthorized access by criminal and terrorist elements. Cargo thieves, stowaways, pirates, drug smugglers, and terrorists constantly attempt to negate, circumvent, or manipulate security measures designed to protect the cargo in the supply chain. The supply chain is made up of various “links,” which combined may span the globe and pass through several countries, starting at the point where the cargo is loaded in a container or onboard a ship and stretching all the way to the end consumer. In this chapter, we discuss vulnerabilities in the different links in the cargo supply chain, internal conspiracies, and the techniques; tactics; and methods utilized by criminal and terrorist organizations to circumvent security policies, measures, and procedures to gain access to ports, ships, and cargoes. Likewise, we review recommended physical security measures, monitoring and detection systems, procedural security standards, and personnel security practices at each phase in the cargo supply chain—ones which have been proven in the field to be effective.