US to Increase Levels of Security Screening at Cruise Ship Terminals

The United States Coast Guard has announced plans to standardize passenger security screening procedures at cruise ship terminals throughout the United States with the creation of the Terminal Screening Program (TSP).

Miami Cruise Terminal

The TSP is expected to increase security at cruise ship terminals by developing a standardized list of prohibited items; developing training standards to consolidate requirements for screeners; eliminating redundancies in cruise ship security regulations and; requiring the screening of all passenger, crew, visitors’ baggage and personal items.

Currently, many cruise ship terminals use a combination of X-Ray, people screening, explosives detection systems (EDS), canine teams, and manual inspections. Large cruise ship terminals are expected to prefer the efficiency and greater throughput that newer X-Ray and EDS equipment offers, while smaller cruise ship terminals will be slower to adopt new EWC equipment, preferring instead to use a combination of canine teams, manual inspections, and EWC detection equipment.

Based on US Coast Guard figures there are currently 137 regulated cruise ship terminals, operated by 23 cruise line companies in the United States. As per a recent published IHS report on the Explosives, Weapons and Contraband (EWC) detection equipment market, the seaports market is forecast to grow by a CAGR of 6.7 percent to $241.6 million in 2018.

IHS expects the long-term impact of the TSP to be positive, as cruise ship terminals in the United States replace older equipment with newer, more advanced EWC detection equipment.

While the long-term impact on the United States cruise ship market is expected to be positive, IHS believes that the adoption of the TSP in the United States will have long-term implications for the global cruise ship market.

Much like the aviation industry, the United States became a leader in airport screening regulations after the September 11, 2001 attacks. The adoption of cruise ship screening regulations in the United States is expected to result in the development of similar screening regulations in other regions.

Similar to airports, the cruise ship market is event driven, and an attack on a cruise line would undoubtedly result in increased screening regulation at cruise ship terminals.

While the TSP only applies to US cruise ship terminals, airport equipment manufacturers are expected to see increased opportunities to sell premium EWC detection equipment to the cruise ship market.

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