The Cost Of Cargo Security is always an issue. It has been at issue since before goods were transported by camel. This is to say that there has always been and will be forever the challenge of shipping goods while limiting theft and tampering.

Once the goods are shipped they are in the control of those handling them them. This means they are at risk of theft and tampering. This is of course why shipping insurance is such a big business all over the world. And this is why goods are expensive to the customer the end user. The price of insurance and loss is passed down as higher prices to the person who needs to buy the products.

The goal is to reduce the loss by reducing the opportunity of theft and tampering. In these days of international terrorism there is also the added risk that cargo will be used to conceal weapons or bombs. So this is an added concern since so much of the world is intertwined with freight shipments.

There exists such a complex shipping chain worldwide that it is impossible to make all shipments safe. But there can be some measures put into place to limit the risk.

For instance if cargo has to be opened and closed at various check points to see recheck the contents this increases the chance of theft and also the opportunity for terrorists to take the opportunity to add a bomb or other weapon in the container.

The international community needs to come up with a system that cargo is checked once and then sealed until the final destination. Any cargo that has been opened after the initial seal needs to be set aside until more checks can be made on it.

This will lead to more safeguards against theft and terrorism. Another way is to extend the use of customs declarations. There are only certain countries at this time where the customs declaration is required. If this requirement is extended to all countries then administration time will be increased.

This will add to more paper work and will increase administration time. But it will reduce the risk of theft and tampering and even terrorist plans. There will always be the risks of cargo shipping. But with international cooperation these risks can be reduced.