Kongsberg. A world class Norweigen Maritime Electronics Firm. (click here)
One of their products are underwater cameras as well. (click here) Of course the water has to be clear enough to see.
Kongsberg specializes in Port Security Systems (click on)
There are many locations around the world which is controlled. The Panama Canal. The Suez Canal. The oceans are vast and it seems nearly impossible a task, but, it isn't. The shipping channels of the 'coastlines' of all countries are well known and charted. Maritime Law has been around a long, long time. This subject is being exploited to instill fear in Americans already traumatized by the incompetency of people in Washington, DC that never even attempted to stop the attacks that killed nearly 3000 people. Not all those people were Americans either.With international treaties, countries can cooperate in sharing information about 'any' suspicions at any port in the traverse of ships around the globe. That includes not only any doubts in products shipped but also ships in disrepair that are environmental hazards.
Research in better capacity through benign but invasive tools such as 'hull pentrating' sonar, similar to the doppler weather systems could give pictures of cargo as they approach ports. Early detection and cooperation among countries could absolutely thwart any exporting of weapons, munitions and questionable products that are used in war activities that are not authorized by sovereign countries. In other words, if arm shipments were never meant to be off loaded in Syria bound for Hezbollah, it could easily be detected and controlled by global cooperation.
It seems like an enormous task, I suppose, but, if the world economies want peace without empowering terrorist networks, there are ways to do it. A ships capacity can be noted with simple measures as well such as 'water displacement.' The weight of a ship displaces water in it's bouyance. If the ships manifest seems lighter than it's presenting in it's displacement it could be boarded and inspected at 'sonar gates' to any port. There is no eliminating human intervention. There will always be danger at some point as security personnel will have to intervene.
There are x-ray machines used currently in airports, neutron tomography. It is too strong for people to be exposed to so it's only used on luggage. In cases where tragedy has occurred such as airline crashes, in search of the cause, x-ray has been used to determine cracks in metal. The technology is available. To expose humans to such strong x-rays is wrong, but, it is used in spy planes all the time by the USA. Some of the favorite targets are trucks suspected of transporting illegals from Mexico. It's not appropriate to x-ray those people, but, they do it. I've seen some photos so strong that the bones can be seen in their body inside the truck.
The point is, any ship can be x-rayed with current technology. The issue is the human life and other life as well and how it will withstand such technology. Providing security for the people of a cargo ship while an x-ray scan occurs doesn't seem such a daughting task to me. There can be a secure room for a crew off the ship until the task is complete. Cargo of food, plants, animals would require different methods, but, I think everyone gets the idea.
Where there is a will, there is always a way. It would be better if the USA was considered a valuable partner by countries in cooperation to end networks of terrorists rather than a 'lone wolf' on a global hunt in countries primarily seen as oil wells.
