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Virginia Port authority teams with GE Security

Creating first U.S. CommerceGuard Secure Cargo Corridor in the U.S.

The Virginia Port Authority today announced that they have joined with GE's Security business to install fixed readers infrastructure at the Port of Virginia's, Norfolk International Terminals and Portsmouth Marine Terminal to communicate with Container Security Devices (CSDs) mounted in ocean-going cargo containers as they pass through the terminal.

This step will make The Port of Virginia the first U.S. port in a worldwide Secure Cargo Corridors network, which is being built-up by Commerce Guard, a joint venture of Siemens, GE and Mitsubishi.  The Secure Cargo Corridors network will provide the infrastructure to verify unauthorized opening of containers with a high degree of accuracy and reliability.

"This is important technology that will not only help improve the security of containers, but also provide more complete information about a container's contents and transportation history," said J. Robert Bray, VPA Executive Director.  "We expect many of the companies that use our terminals, as well as the government authorities who work closely with us here, to benefit greatly from this new capability."

The CommerceGuard CSD System not only alerts as to whether or not the container has been opened, but also stores and communicates valuable information about where which ports the container has traveled through, who initially armed stuffed the container and where it was stuffed.

"With CommerceGuard proving its reliability in multiple independent tests, it is now time to implement this important program," said Louis Parker, President & CEO of GE Security.  "GE is very pleased that the Virginia Port Authority has agreed to be the first port in the U.S. to partner with us."

CommerceGuard is the first internally-mounted CSD to achieve the high reliability standards demanded in the international shipping industry.   In March, Starbucks became the first company to begin operational use of CommerceGuard CSDs on their shipments of green coffee beans from Guatemala to the U.S. and Europe.  Siemens, a CommerceGuard partner, also recently announced that they have it has reached an agreement to install the first CommerceGuard readers in the Port of Antwerp, opening the first secure cargo corridor between Europe and the U.S. 

The infrastructure installed at The Port of Virginia will read the status of the CSDs installed and armed inside a container as it passes through the port, and instantly communicate that information to the importer and other authorized individuals who have a need to know.