Proceedings Of The Marine

SPR 2014

Proceedings magazine is a communication tool for the Coast Guard's Marine Safety & Security Council. Each quarterly magazine focuses on a specific theme of interest to the marine industry.

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15 Spring 2014 Proceedings www.uscg.mil/proceedings screening by phone and electronic communications. How- ever, because communications were still down and power outages were widespread when marine commerce resumed, CBP embedded an agent in the Coast Guard command cen- ter, so the agencies could work together 24/7 to ensure their missions were met. This arrangement worked because personnel from the two agencies had a strong working relationship characterized by a sense of mutual understanding and obligation. "We understand each other," said CDR Linda Sturgis, prevention chief at Coast Guard Sector New York during Hurricane Sandy response and recovery. Social capital was also evident in how these agencies worked with the private sector (in this case, with marine terminal managers) in maintaining security at these facilities follow- ing Hurricane Sandy. The storm knocked out a considerable amount of security equipment and infrastructure, including security booths, motion-sensor cameras, fences, and gates. Equipment that had not been destroyed was largely useless, due to power outages. Teams of Coast Guard facility inspectors were deployed to marine terminals and worked with terminal managers to develop alternative compliance measures for mandated facility security requirements. This required a great deal of trust among Sector New York leaders, the feld-based facility inspectors, and the terminal managers. Fortunately, Sector New York and NY/NJ terminal managers have collaborated for years and already had built a high level of trust. Cultivating Social Capital Why is social capital so strong in the Port of NY and NJ, and how can it be developed elsewhere? Evidence from Hurricane Sandy suggests that existing coordinating mechanisms like area maritime security committees and harbor safety committees that are very active in the port enhance social capital by growing meaningful networks. 4 For some time now, it has been acknowledged that there are many actors from the public and private sector in the maritime domain, and all hands are needed to Customs and Border Protection offcers in action after Hurricane Sandy. Photo courtesy of Mr. Joshua Denmark, U.S. Customs and Border Protection. " W e d r e w u p o n o u r e x i s t i n g professional networks to overcome technical challenges." — LCDR Brian McSorley, assistant chief of Safety and Security Operations, Sector New York. How To Screen Cargo Without Working Equipment Customs and Border Protection (CBP) maintains its own screening equipment at Port Newark's exit gates. Conse- quently, this equipment, including radiation portal monitors, which are used to screen cargo leaving the facility, sufered damage from Hurricane Sandy. Making matters worse, CBP could not allow cargo to leave the port without conducting this screening. CBP personnel leveraged social capital as a means to coordi- nate, innovate, and to assist their own staf in recovery and to solve a host of problems with essential security-related equip- ment. Customs and Border Protection's port staf worked closely with headquarters and with external partners to locate replacement equipment, including security booths and new screening panels for the radiation portal monitors, from loca- tions throughout the country and to arrange for transporting this equipment to the port amid transportation and power disruptions. Friends in "High" Places This required extensive coordination with a range of other partners and resulted in some innovative solutions. For example, CBP leased a 747 to fy in the new screening panels, borrowed space from Newark Liberty International Airport to store equipment and stage recovery work, and worked with Port Authority police to get access to fuel for support vehicles. "Since we have these strong working relationships, we were able to do some makeshift things like borrow an airplane hangar … if we hadn't developed those relationships before- hand, this wouldn't have happened," stated Ms. Adele Fasano, CBP port director at the Port of New York /Newark. Spring2014_FINAL.indd 15 3/21/14 11:13 AM

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