The project was part of a larger U.S. program called the Megaports Initiative, an international effort led by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), an arm of the U.S. Department of Energy, which has completed installations in about 30 major ports around the world since the program's birth in 2003. The goal of the program, according to the NNSA website, is to equip 100 ports with radiation detection systems by 2015, resulting in an approximate 50 percent scan of global maritime containerized cargo.
Stopping illicit shipments of radioactive material in Mexico is part of a global responsibility to find weapons of mass destruction, Laura Dogu, deputy chief of mission of the U.S. Embassy in Mexico, said in a press release. "It is also an illustration of the continuing close cooperation between the United States and Mexico to make our shared landmass safer and more secure for the citizens of both countries,” Dogu said.
To celebrate completion of the project, a ceremony was held in Manzanillo. "Today’s ceremony signifies the completion of the equipment installations at the four Megaports, and equipment turnover to the government of Mexico for long-term maintenance and operation," a press release read.
The Megaports Initiative spans U.S. agencies that include the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection and Domestic Nuclear Detection Office as well as the U.S. Department of State.
Countries with seaports that have been upgraded by the program include: the Bahamas, Belgium, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Greece, Honduras (SFI Port), Israel, Jamaica, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Oman (SFI Port), Pakistan (SFI Port), Panama, the Philippines, Portugal, Spain, Singapore, South Korea (SFI Port), Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and the United Kingdom (SFI Port).
Countries with seaports where implementation of the program is under way include: Bangladesh, China, Djibouti, Dubai-United Arab Emirate, Egypt, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Malaysia, Panama and Spain.
