Transportation Security at U.S. Seaports - Research Paper Example

The United States is one of the countries with the largest coastlines across the entire globe. This provides it a number or sea ports and sea shores to use in both transport activities, especially the exports and imports trade, whereby the country brings in new products from other countries while exporting its own products to different other countries. Furthermore, these seaports equally act as entry points for people from different countries who want to visit the United States. As such, 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 the 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 sea ports.