"The equipment operates itself," said Bryan Wilkes, a spokesman for the U.S.
National Nuclear Security Administration, the agency negotiating the contract.
"It's not going to be someone standing at the controls pressing buttons and
flipping switches."
A lawmaker who helped lead the opposition to the Dubai ports deal isn't so
confident. Neither are some security experts. They question whether the U.S.
should pay a foreign company to keep radioactive material out of the United
States.
"Giving a no-bid contract to a foreign company to carry out the most
sensitive security screening for radioactive materials at ports abroad raises
many questions," said Sen. Charles Schumer.
A low-paid employee with access to the screening equipment could frustrate
international security by studying how the equipment works and which materials
set off its alarms, warned a retired U.S. Customs investigator who specialized
in smuggling cases.
"Money buys a lot of things," Robert Sheridan said. "The fact that foreign
workers would have access to how the United States screens various containers
for nuclear material and how this technology scrutinizes the containers — all
those things allow someone with a nefarious intention to thwart the screening."
Other experts discounted concerns. They cited Hutchison's reputation as a
leading ports company and said the United States inevitably must rely for some
security on large commercial operators in the global maritime industry.
"We must not allow an unwarranted fear of foreign ownership or involvement in
offshore operations to impair our ability to protect against nuclear weapons
being smuggled into this country," said Sen. Norm Coleman, a member of the
Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. "We must work
with these foreign companies."
A former Coast Guard commander, Stephen Flynn, said foreign companies
sometimes prove more trustworthy — and susceptible to U.S. influence — than
governments.
"It's a very fragile system," Flynn said. Foreign companies "recognize the
U.S. has the capacity and willingness to exercise a kill switch if something
goes wrong."
A spokesman for Hutchison's ports subsidiary, Anthony Tam, said the company
"is a strong supporter in port security initiatives."
"In the case of the Bahamas, our local personnel are working alongside with
U.S. customs officials to identify and inspect U.S.-bound containers that could
be carrying radioactive materials," Tam said.
However, there are no U.S. customs agents checking any cargo containers at
the Hutchison port in Freeport. Under the contract, no U.S. officials would be
stationed permanently in the Bahamas with the radiation scanner.
The administration is finalizing the contract amid a national debate over
maritime security sparked by the furor over now-abandoned plans by Dubai-owned
DP World to take over significant operations at major U.S. ports.
Hutchison operates the sprawling Freeport Container Port on Grand Bahama
Island. Its subsidiary, Hutchison Port Holdings, has operations in more than 20
countries but none in the United States.