US government worried about Chinese ‘spy cranes.’ What does that mean for Port of Tacoma?
The Port of Tacoma won’t have to replace any so-called “spy cranes,” the Northwest Seaport Alliance said Friday.
President Biden announced Wednesday that the United States will invest $20 billion in port security and to manufacture shipping container cranes domestically out of a fear that Chinese-made cranes could pose a national security risk.
“This action is a vital step to securing our maritime infrastructure’s digital ecosystem and addresses several vulnerabilities,” the administration said in a statement.
Advanced software in some Chinese cranes could report shipping movements or even cripple the cranes in a hacking attack, the Biden Administration fears.
Tacoma cranes
The Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA), which includes both the ports of Tacoma and Seattle, operates cranes made by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Company Limited (ZPMC) — the state-operated manufacturer cited as a potential risk. An estimated 80 percent of cranes at U.S. ports were made by ZPMC.
After reviewing guidelines this week, the NWSA said it won’t have to replace any of its existing cranes.
Currently, ports needing large cranes which load shipping containers off and onto ships could only turn to China.
“There are currently no American-made super post-panamax cranes available on the market,” said NWSA spokesperson Melanie Stambaugh. Super Post-panamax, manufactured by ZPMC are among the largest cranes in use at the port.
“If we didn’t have these cranes we couldn’t compete in global trans-Pacific trade,” she said.
Cybersecurity
Stambaugh said the NWSA has strong cybersecurity procedures in place.
“We are evaluating new requirements against our existing security measures at our marine terminals,” she said. “The published requirements at this time do not suggest we will have to replace any of our operating cranes.”
The NWSA acknowledged the situation is fluid as guidelines are still emerging from the Biden Administration and maritime security organizations.
Chinese response
Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy, called the Biden Administration’s claims “entirely paranoia” on X (Twitter).
“We firmly oppose the U.S. overstretching the concept of national security and abusing national power to obstruct normal economic and trade cooperation with China. Playing the ‘China card’ and floating the ‘China threat’ theory is irresponsible and will harm the interests of the U.S. itself.”
This story was originally published February 26, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
