The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) has denied recent media reports about a possible security threat at US ports posed by Chinese port equipment.
“There have been no known security breaches as the result of any cranes at US ports, despite alarmist media reports,” pointed out AAPA in a statement.
“Further, modern cranes are very fast and sophisticated but even they can’t track the origin, destination, or nature of the cargo,” added the association.
AAPA noted that China has subsidized crane manufacturing in a way that makes their cranes half the cost. “To correct this imbalance, the United States should build out its reshoring tools to bolster the manufacturing of critical equipment,” said the association.
Cary Davis, AAPA’s vice president and general counsel, stated, “I like a good spy movie, but you need a smoking gun to make it a blockbuster, and there’s no smoke in this story. But remember the image of the powerful middle-America factory in the movie The Deerhunter? Just picture American factories churning out world-class, connected, low-emissions, and user-friendly cranes, trucks, and tractors. That’s the opportunity we have here.”
AAPA claimed that legislative proposals to remove cranes from US ports without immediate replacements would harm the country’s supply chains, jack up prices, and exacerbate inflation even further.
“Seaports partner with government authorities to assess security vulnerabilities from every threat vector,” said AAPA. “Recent reports – citing sources that have worked directly with the industry – have at times conflated the approved equipment at ports with other Chinese technology that has consciously been rejected in the US because of potential misuse.”
AAPA highlighted, “our indelible partnerships with the government have led to identifying the real threats.”
The association added it has dedicated ‘trip wires’ for anything that could threaten port operations, including a Technical Committee on Security and Safety.
The Committee has reported it takes very seriously the concerns raised about Chinese-made cranes operating at US ports. “In partnership with Federal, state, and local law enforcement, ports have taken steps to detect and mitigate potential risks posed by these cranes. To the best of the committee’s knowledge, no kinetic or cyber incidents involving these cranes have been reported at US ports,” pointed out the Committee.
