Non-Subscriber Extract
Italian admiral points to vulnerability of commercial ports to terrorism
By Jon Rosamond
23 November 2007
The Italian admiral who led NATO's Harbour Protection Trials in 2006 (HPT 06) has called on governments to devote more resources to countering the terrorist threat in ports and harbours.
Speaking at the Maritime Systems and Technology (MAST) conference in Genoa, Rear Admiral Giulio Cobolli said that off-the-shelf surveillance systems would provide a "sufficient level of protection" in the close confines of a naval base, but that safeguarding large commercial ports was likely to prove more difficult.
Italy is lead nation in the alliance's drive to find technological solutions to the terrorist threat in these environments, which has included studies by the NATO Undersea Research Centre in La Spezia.
Rear Adm Cobolli, who oversaw the trials in April 2006, said that "not enough" money is being invested in research, development and installation of systems.
He told MAST delegates on 15 November 2007: "I do not know if countries are investing enough in this field; maybe they should. We have to apply these kinds of technologies effectively. Governments need to invest. They could start today. It is a question of priorities."