LLNL and VeriTainer Research Agreement Will Make U.S. Ports Safer From Terrorist Radiological and Nuclear Threats

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and VeriTainer Corporation have entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) that will make U.S. ports safer from terrorist nuclear threats.  The CRADA will be used to refine and enhance VeriTainer’s patented crane mounted scanning (CMS) technology. The agreement will lead to enhanced nuclear detection capabilities for global ports.

The CRADA will be in place for three-and-a-half years and require approximately $4 million in funding. LLNL will work in cooperation with VeriTainer’s scientists and engineers to enhance both gamma and neutron detection sensitivity, while maintaining the capabilities of VeriTainer’s CMS. The system has been operated for the past four years in field tests run at three ports and in five different terminals.

VeriTainer’s patented crane mounted scanning (CMS) technology.

 Image credit: LLNL

“This agreement with an entity as accomplished and respected as Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is obviously a big step forward for our firm, the CMS technology and the overall security of the global supply chain,” said John Alioto, CEO of VeriTainer. “Together, we will optimize the existing technology and continue to develop the overall CMS solution.”

Steven Kreek, the leader of LLNL’s Nuclear Detection and Countermeasures Research Program, stated that under the CRADA the Laboratory will use its expertise not only to optimize the sensitivity of the CMS, but also to leverage the platform to deliver an effective counterterrorism system.

“This technology occupies a unique security niche in that it will be used to scan cargo that is passed between ships, known as transshipment, that doesn’t actually enter a country until reaching its final destination. This technology will help ensure that cargo containers are not used for transporting radiological or nuclear threats,” Kreek added.

VeriTainer Corporation is a venture-backed leader in crane-based radiation detection technology for scanning of shipping containers to ensure that the world’s ports are free from nuclear terrorism. VeriTainer’s patented technology enables scanning of 100 percent of shipping containers, addressing a principal vulnerability of the world’s population centers and allowing for rapid scanning of containers entering and exiting ports without disrupting the flow of commerce.

A VeriTainer Corp. employee is shown at a port where the crane is in operation.  

Image credit: LLNL

In April, on the eve of the Global Nuclear Summit, at a Washington, D.C. conference attended by the leaders of nearly 50 nations, President Obama declared that nuclear terrorism is the "single biggest threat" to world peace and stability. "If there was ever a detonation in New York City, or London, or Johannesburg, the ramifications economically, politically and from a security perspective would be devastating," Obama said. Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations are seeking a nuclear device, "a weapon of mass destruction that they have no compunction at using." Obama is seeking global cooperation on isolating non-secure nuclear materials that could be used to make a weapon.

In March, the British Government issued a report entitled "United Kingdom’s Strategy for Countering International Terrorism." The report said that the UK Government "has identified factors which have increased the risk that terrorists may acquire and use chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) weapons: the significant increase in the illicit trafficking of radiological materials; the availability of CBRN related technologies on the internet; and the increasing use of CBRN material for legitimate purposes, increasing the risk that these might be acquired by terrorist organisations." The report further found that "Contemporary terrorist organizations aspire to use chemical, biological, radiological and even nuclear weapons and have also developed new types of explosives and ways of using them. The use of some CBRN materials has the potential to have very serious and widespread consequences."

Founded in 1952, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a national security laboratory that develops science and engineering technology and provides innovative solutions to our nation’s most important challenges. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is managed by Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC for the U.S. Department