David Carrigg
Province
A network of high-tech cameras is to be installed on the shoreline around Vancouver to boost security.
“We want to be able to track all vessels within our jurisdiction,” said Graham Kee, the Vancouver Port Authority’s director of security.
All commercial ships must have a system that electronically advises the port they are visiting what they are doing and where they have come from.
But non-commercial ships and yachts that arrive unannounced could be a security threat.
To deal with the problem, the Vancouver port will spend much of a $3.6-million federal security grant to install cameras between Deltaport and Indian Arm to monitor boat traffic.
The number of cameras required has not been determined. Installation will begin next year.
Kee said the Canada Border Services Agency will also install radiation monitors next year to determine if a container holds radioactive materials.
The Vancouver port’s $3.6-million security grant is on top of $8 million it got from Ottawa last year to upgrade the cruise ship terminal, port control room and perimeter fencing.
The money is part of a $115-million security package for Canadian ports.
Three Vancouver Island port communities have also received cash to upgrade security.
© The Vancouver Province 2005
