Estimating the Operational Impact of Container Inspections at International Ports

Nitin Bakshi (), Stephen E. Flynn () and Noah Gans ()
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Nitin Bakshi: London Business School, Regent's Park, London NW1 4SA, United Kingdom
Stephen E. Flynn: Center for National Policy, Washington, DC 20001
Noah Gans: The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104

Management Science, 2011, vol. 57, issue 1, 1-20

Abstract: A U.S. law mandating nonintrusive imaging and radiation detection for 100% of U.S.-bound containers at international ports has provoked widespread concern that the resulting congestion would hinder trade significantly. Using detailed data on container movements, gathered from two large international terminals, we simulate the impact of the two most important inspection policies that are being considered. We find that the current inspection regime being advanced by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security can only handle a small percentage of the total load. An alternate inspection protocol that emphasizes screening--a rapid primary scan of all containers, followed by a more careful secondary scan of only a few containers that fail the primary test--holds promise as a feasible solution for meeting the 100% scanning requirement. This paper was accepted by Yossi Aviv, operations management.

Keywords: homeland security; container inspections; queueing simulation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

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