Senator Michael Balboni, along with members of the Senate Majority Task Force on State and Local Emergency Preparedness, met with federal and state officials regarding security at New York City's port facilities. Representatives from the Port Authority, the US Customs Service and the US Coast Guard briefed members of the Task Force.

Balboni joined Task Force Chairman Senator James Seward, Senator Vincent Leibell and Senator Thomas Morahan on a tour of the Howland Hook Container Terminal and Coast Guard Station at Fort Wadsworth, both located on Staten Island.

The briefing and tour comes as the US Customs Service calls for a proposal that it says will tighten security at our nation's ports. (This proposal is part of the Port and Maritime Security Act of 2001.) Currently, officials say, screening is not done until ships are sailing to or have arrived into the United States. The new plan would require that the US Customs Service be informed of US-bound merchandise 24 hours before it is loaded onto a ship in a foreign port as well as detailed descriptions of what is being imported.

The New York area is considered particularly vulnerable because the Port of New York/New Jersey is the third busiest seaport in the nation, with six import terminals in Brooklyn and New Jersey.

Balboni and the Task Force received briefings on cargo inspection, ship marshaling (threats by ships coming from terrorist nations) as well as new procedures for credentialing every worker at the port, as well as providing for enhanced security and restricted access to the port itself.

The briefing provided lawmakers with a firsthand look at the interaction and cooperation between the US Customs Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the US Coast Guard, the Port Authority and the Waterfront Commissions.

As a result of the meeting, several legislative bills are being considered regarding providing ports with greater tools and abilities to continue to improve the ports' safety.

"The Howland Hook Container Terminal is one of the most valuable and most vulnerable assets we have in New York," Balboni said. "A successful terrorist attack against this installation would have profound ramifications to America's security and its economy. We must take every step necessary to limit the risks."

"The federal government has taken the lead on homeland security and one of the most important steps it can take is the passage of the Port and Maritime Security Act," Seward said.

It has been reported that Osama Bin Laden owns a shipping fleet and in 1998 used a cargo ship to deliver supplies to suicide bombers in Africa who blew up US Embassies. The Port and Maritime Security Act provides nearly $100 million in grants to US seaports and nearly $400 million more for Coast Guard, Customs and other agencies responsible for port security.