Convergence of Transportation Congestion and Security at US Seaports - Research Paper Example

It creates a transportation avenue, whereby congestion at the seaports due to transport activities is a common aspect. However, the traffic of people and goods leaving and entering the United States through its ports poses a security threat to the entire country at large. This is especially at the backdrop of the 9/11 terrorist attack carried out on U.S. soil whereby nearly 3,000 people lost their lives.As such, the security at these seaports within the United States is of crucial importance to all state actors, especially the innocent and naïve passengers who use the ports for daily activities, such as fishing and transportation.

Currently, the number of seaports within the United States stands at over 300. Each of these ports is different in its own manner and style, as well as the intended purposes and daily activities. As mentioned earlier and going by the statistics of the losses suffered in 2001 after the September 11 terrorist attack, the issue of security is of grave importance to the operations carried out at these seaports. This is because terrorists can use these seaports to ferry into the country explosives, bombs, as well as other assorted weapons with which they could use in harming the public through terror attacks.

Therefore, it's a demanding fact that the Federal and State governments have to ensure that security is on high alert at the seaports to curb any instances of terrorism, or movements of illegal goods and substances, such as the trafficking of hard drugs into the country through these seaports. However, the enforcement of these security systems should be in consideration of the fact that the main purposes of these seaports are the facilitation of trade, especially international trade whereby there is the movement of goods in an out of the United States for commercial purposes.

This movement has to be smooth, efficient, as well as swift to keep the economy running and recovering steadily, especially after the previous global economic crisis of 2007 to 2008 that almost paralyzed the economy of the United States.