The Role of Electronic Container Seal (E-Seal) with RFID Technology in the Container Security Initiatives

Abstract

After the September 11 events, both the governments and industries have illustrated the importance of transportation security as well as cargo security. The September 11 terrorists hijacked the commercial passenger aircrafts to attack to World Trade Center Towers in New York City and Pentagon Building near Washington D.C. These attacks remind the public of how transportation security establishments directly affect the national security. Today more than 85% of cargo entering the United States is coming in the standard ocean containers. It is now essential to ensure these containers are well monitored and inspected along the way as they arrive in the U.S. ports so no mass destruction materials are smuggling into this country. In the wake of the container security initiative (CSI), the Electronic Container Seal (E-Seal) and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology are introduced. In this paper, the basic technical features of RFID systems are described and linked to the practical applications. This paper will also determine how the technologies perform in the real-world operational environments and evaluate the various trade-offs that exist with e-seal design and the potential impact of those trade-offs on functionality, reliability, utility, and cost.