RADIATION detectors hidden inside shipping containers could be carried on cargo ships to detect illicit nuclear materials.
At present, port authorities scan containers for illicit radioactive materials ashore. To avoid delaying shipments trucks are scanned as they drive in or out of the port, meaning detectors generally have no longer than 1 minute to do their work, which is not always long enough.
Radiation detectors could be installed in all sea containers to complement the port scanners, (New Scientist, 19 August 2006, p 40), but smugglers might find ways to disable the detectors in a container they were using.…
