Haifa Port will use US Radiation Detectors against nuclear smuggling

U.S. and Israeli officials said last week that U.S.-made radiation detectors would be installed at Israel's Haifa port, Israel's largest maritime gateway.
 
It is understood that The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has selected Haifa as its home port in Israel, and that it intends to spend millions of dollars in installing an advanced radiation detectors system for screening and identifying radioactive materials.
 
Israeli and American officials informed the press that the decision to install the system in Haifa was due to its general growth potential in exports of goods originated from Jordan and shipped to the US, via Haifa.
 
According to Israeli officials the agreement to install radiation detectors is part of the NNSA's Megaport security initiative. The initiative works with other governments to prevent the smuggling of nuclear materials and or weapon of mass destruction ( WMD ) through foreign ports to the USA.
 
The initiative covers the main ports around the world from which large quantities of exports are shipped to the US. Among the countries taking part in the NNSA's project are Singapore, Greece, China, Spain, Sri Lanka and Holland.
 
The equipment which will be installed around the port can scan export containers as well as incoming containers and detect ionized radiation from radioactive or radiological material.
 
Israeli officials gave no indication as to the number of detectors Haifa would receive or when they would be operational. They did, however, indicate that Israeli Atomic Energy Commission personnel will operate the scanners.