Standards on Container Security Devices

The US authorities have announced that there will eventually be an increased role for container security devices. These are battery-mounted intelligent small devices, to be fitted easily inside the container (with a small antenna outside). These devices will store the container number and date and time of each door opening together with a record of the communication between an outside reader and the device.

Various companies and manufacturers, mainly in the security industry, have presented concepts of such devices, and some solutions to industrial produc-tion will soon be available.

The users—mainly shippers and forwarders—and the other actors in the security chain—mainly port terminals and customs administrations—have insisted on an interoperable approach. They do not wish to install multiple RF access points for container security devices from different producers. The

International Container Security Organization has taken this challenge and started to work on such standards. First drafts have been finalized, but not yet published. ICSO will wait for the US administration to come out with their requirements. As far as possible, a set of container security device standards shall comply with such requirements.

4 C O N C L U S I O N S : O U T L O O K A N D F U R T H E R S TA N D A R D I Z AT I O N

Container security will, eventually, be a most complex system of interrelated activities in information, data capture, controlled re-distribution and physical surveillance of the container, and inquiries into the various actors in the supply chain. Standardization will be an important tool in streamlining these activities and to set certain benchmarks in the desired quality level of security.

However, on the other hand, a published standard may serve for the people on the other side as a valuable guideline for their dark activities. Before starting a standardization process the parties must take this into account and decide on privacy or on the participation of a wider public in the work.

S Y S T E M S F O R E N H A N C I N G P O RT S E C U R I T Y A N D O P E R AT I O N A L

E F F I C I E N C Y

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P L A N N I N G A N D I M P L E M E N T I N G R F I D T E C H N O L O G I E S TO E N H A N C E

S E C U R I T Y I N P O RT O P E R AT I O N S

Giovanni Luca Barletta and Khalid Bichou

Port Operations Research and Technology Centre (PORTeC), Centre for Transport Studies, Imperial College London, London SW7 2BU, UK

Abstract

After the 9/11 events, governments and industries have recognized the need to secure both infrastructures and cargo movements within ports. With the introduction of many initia-tives aiming at enhancing port and sea trade security (CSI, SST, C-TPAT, 24-hour rule), electronic container seals and RFID systems have taken the lead over other technologies. However, beyond the general advantages brought about by these technolo-gies, there is a need to reflect on the extent to which they can enhance port operations, both in terms of risk reduction and efficiency improvements. This study investigates how port operations can be enhanced by the use of RFID technology and presents a functional model of the ‘‘RFID-enhanced’’ port model, based on IDEF0 modelling tools. In partic-ular, we examine the role of RFID to secure yard operations, and highlight technological issues and other potential problems incurred when adopting and implementing such technology.

1 I N T R O D U C T I O N A N D L I T E R AT U R E R E V I E W

Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a generic term that is used to describe a system that transmits the identity (in the form of a unique serial number) of an object using radio waves. It is grouped under the broad category of automatic identification technologies. RFID is designed to enable readers to capture data on tags and transmit it automatically to a computer system. A typical RFID tag consists of a microchip attached to a radio antenna mounted on a substrate. A reader is used to retrieve the data stored on an RFID tag. A typical reader (which can be either fixed or mobile) is a device that has one or more antennas that emit radio waves and receive signals back from the tag. The reader then passes the information in digital form to a computer system (through the middleware). Middleware is a generic term used to describe software that resides between the RFID reader and applica-tions. It is a critical component of any RFID system, because the middleware takes the raw data from the reader—a reader might read the same tag 100

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times per second—filters it and passes on the useful event data to back-end systems. Middleware plays a key role in getting the right information to the right application at the right time (Palival et al., 2004).

1.1 Terminology

Although a full discussion of all the types and capabilities of RFID is beyond the scope of this chapter, in the next section there will be a basic under-standing of the types of RFID systems available.

The main types of RFID tags that are of primary interest are active, semi-active and passive. Active RFID tags contain a battery to boost reading range.

Active tags can have a range up to 100 metres (depending on the power allowed in different countries’ regulations). These tags have a large memory capacity to store relevant data (up to 32Kb) that is typically encrypted to prevent unauthorized reading. Active tags may contain sensors, global posi-tioning system (GPS) devices (to be tracked on during all the transportation process), satellite links, or other enhancements.

Semi-active RFID tags contain a battery but this is not used to enhance reading range. The battery is used to power sensors or volatile memory. Read range depends on the frequency and type of tag. Also of interest are RFID identification cards (passive RFID), which can be regarded as contactless smart cards. These are passive since they contain no battery and have a more limited range (up to 2–3 metres). Passive RFID tags may also be found on pallets and other load devices within shipping containers (Politecnico di Milano, 2005).