Four leading providers of advanced hardware and software technologies have become part of the rapidly growing Smart and Secure Tradelanes (SST) initiative, which includes a number of major multi-national companies that have recently shipped more than 100 "smart and secure" ocean containers between Asia and the U.S. Pacific and Atlantic coasts that are monitored end-to-end in real-time.
The announcement was made recently by the Strategic Council on Security Technology, a global advisory resource and catalyst for cargo security that was instrumental in launching SST last summer. Utilizing international open standards, existing commercial technology and lessons learned from the decade-long development of the U.S. Department of Defense's Total Asset Visibility (TAV) network, the world's largest radio frequency identification (RFID) cargo tracking system, SST is a public-private initiative that continues to test and innovate ways to secure sea containers in a scalable environment.
The initiative is openly recruiting new members from both industry and the technology arenas to drive innovation and improve cargo security in Phase 2 early next year. The initiative now has more than 35 partners, including major multi-national manufacturers, carriers, ports, best-of-breed technologies and service providers.
During the past month, the SST partnership has shipped the first 100 ocean containers from major multi-national companies between Asia and both the U.S. Pacific and U.S. Atlantic coasts. These conventional 40-foot-long metal containers have been transformed into "smart and secure" containers via Web-based software that is uniquely integrated with radio frequency identification (RFID) electronic bolt seals affixed to the conveyances. SST is designed to complement Homeland Security initiatives, including the Container Security Initiative (CSI), Customs Trade Partners Against Terrorism (C-TPAT), and Operation Safe Commerce (OSC).
Separately, PSA Logistics, a wholly owned subsidiary of PSA Corporation, a founding SST partner, launched the e-logistics suite of N2N Smart Container Solutions. N2N is designed to extend and complement SST by harnessing solutions provided by new SST partners PORTNET, Sun Microsystems, Manugistics Group, EXE Technologies and Intermec Technologies, a division of UNOVA Inc., as well as SST co-founder Savi Technology, a privately held company.
Partnering with Sun Microsystems, Manugistics, EXE Technologies, Savi Technology and Intermec, N2N Solutions offers a full range of component software applications and automatic identification technology (AIT) hardware, such as electronic bolt seals that automatically detect tampering and other events and transmit these Alerts to software. These e-logistics solutions, which are modular and customizable, are implemented through PSA's physical execution network and linked with PortNet -- PSA's Web-based port community system where trading partners collaborate and share critical logistics information.
The Global SST initiative has begun shipments from point of origin through trans-shipment hubs via the ports of Singapore and Hong Kong and into the U.S. ports of Seattle/Tacoma, Los Angeles/Long Beach, Savannah and New York/New Jersey. SST also is currently being extended to the ports of Rotterdam, Antwerp and Felixstowe, and will become operational during Phase 2 early next year.
The Strategic Council on Security Technology is an international assembly of top executives from the world's largest port operators, major logistics technology providers, four-star generals, former public officials and prominent transportation consultancies. Acting as an international resource, the Strategic Council on Security Technology is committed to helping ensure greater supply chain security through best-of-breed practices and technologies while working with a variety of other industry associations.
