No security concerns reported about Chinese-made cranes, government says

Transport Canada says it has had no reports from the Port of Vancouver of potential security concerns over massive cargo cranes manufactured in China.

Cargo cranes made by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. have been flagged by a U.S. congressional probe as a security concern.

More than a dozen of the cranes are operated by Vancouver-based Global Container Terminals in Vancouver and Delta and by United Arab Emiratesbased DP World in Vancouver.

“Transport Canada is in touch with the Port of Vancouver on an ongoing basis. The Port of Vancouver has not reported any incidents regarding potential security concerns with ZPMC cranes to Transport Canada,” said Laura Scaffidi, press secretary in Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez’s office.

A U.S. House of Representatives’ joint committee said its investigation turned up evidence of cellular modems on the Chinese-made port cranes that “do not appear in any way to contribute to the operation, raising significant questions as to their intended applications.”

Zhenhua Heavy Industries has said its cranes pose no cybersecurity risk and that it adheres to regional and national laws and regulations where its cranes operate.

Transport Canada said cranes are not specifically regulated under Canadian law but it works to identify and mitigate security threats to regulated marine facilities, through regular reviews of port security plans.

“Our government will not hesitate to take action to ensure the safety of Canada’s ports with respect to privacy and cybersecurity,” said Scaffidi.

The B.C. government has recently raised concerns about port security, including calling for the return of a federal port police that was eliminated in 1997. Policing at ports now falls to local police forces and the Canada Border Services Agency.

On Friday, the Port of Vancouver released it annual cargo numbers, which showed record volumes went through the port despite a sputtering global economy and a big drop in container shipments. An unprecedented 150.4 million tonnes of bulk, breakbulk and container goods traversed the docks at the country’s largest port, a six per cent increase over the previous year.

The new Vancouver Fraser Port Authority CEO, Peter Xotta, said that security and safety are priority issues for the authority. But he noted that Transport Canada has jurisdiction for security and issues that would include concerns over the cranes.

He said the port wouldn’t be involved in any investigation of the cranes and did not know the status of any such investigation. “I’m confident though that the authorities are on this, and to the extent that there is an issue, it will be or has been resolved,” he said.

DP World did not respond to a request for comment. Global Container Terminals said its cranes go through a rigorous commissioning process where every component is assessed and tested through several checks before and after the cranes arrive on-site.