GRAHAM FORMS FEDERAL PANEL TO STUDY PORT CRIME, SECURITY

Florida Democratic Senator Bob Graham is launching a federal task force to
study port-related crime and overall port security.

The one-year task force, to be called the Graham Commission on Seaport Crime
and Security, will cast a wide net.

Issues to be examined range from the depth of shipping channels and supply
of certified ship pilots to the threat of cruise ship terrorism and food
safety inspections.

Also under scrutiny will be drug smuggling, the smuggling of illegal
immigrants, auto theft rings and general cargo theft.

Ports have become a "locus of crime," Sen. Graham said in an announcement
providing details of his commission. "Unfortunately, our port management
systems are decades behind the rest of the world, and decades behind our own
airport management system," he said.

President Clinton is expected to officially establish Sen. Graham's task
force, and give it the status of a presidential commission, in an upcoming
signing ceremony.

That event had been scheduled to take place March 18 but was delayed due to
a change in the president's schedule, Sen. Graham's office said.

"The president has determined that a comprehensive review is required to
examine the nature and extent of seaport crime and the overall state of
security in seaports," Sen. Graham said.

Some are skeptical.

Eileen Denne, public relations director for the American Association of Port
Authorities, said Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater already has a
national task force that addresses many of the same issues.

Under last year's Coast Guard Authorization Act, Mr. Slater was directed to
create a Maritime Transportation System task force focusing on shipping
channels, loading terminals and rail and highway access to ports. The group
will submit a report to Congress by July 1.

AAPA members work with all responsible federal, state and local agencies to
find new ways to stop crime on the waterfront, Ms. Denne said.

She said the association has a longstanding resolution urging the U.S.
Customs Service, Drug Enforcement Administration and FBI to coordinate their
efforts with local law enforcement agencies to fight drug trafficking and
organized crime at ports.

Sen. Graham said his commission would be co-chaired by the U.S. attorney
general and the secretaries of the Treasury and Transportation departments.

The commission will include 25 representatives from federal agencies and
will seek input from local governments and the private sector, the senator
said. It will recommends steps to strengthen cooperation, he said.In
outlining the scope of port mismanagement, Sen. Graham said European ports
use the latest technology and powerful tugboats to safely handle the largest
class of container ships and supertankers.

The United States, however, is mired in a poorly coordinated system of rules
and regulations that should be changed to avoid environmental disasters and
human tragedy, he said.

Access to U.S. airports is strictly controlled, but no similar controls are
placed at cruise ship terminals, he charged.

An estimated one out of every three cars stolen each year in the United
States is exported, Sen. Graham said. International auto theft rings operate
with relative impunity because existing penalties are an insufficient
deterrent, he said."The lack of effective regulations regarding the shipping
and receiving of containerized cargo -- the fastest growing method of
transport -- is a major part of this problem," the senator said.

Sen. Graham said no state has been more affected by port security problems
than Florida. The state is home to the Port of Miami, the nation's leading
passenger port, and four of the top 20 cargo ports.

Indeed, the broad issue of port security gained attention last year after
reports in The Journal of Commerce and other newspapers revealed breaches at
Port Everglades and Jacksonville Port Authority.

In the specific case of Port Everglades, security was weak enough to allow
longshoremen to routinely drive cars alongside of ships in container yards.
Also, the U.S. Customs Service broke up a Port Everglades drug smuggling
ring that exploited those weaknesses.

The Florida ports have taken measures since last year to shore up security.

Kevin Hall in Miami contributed to this report.