VANCOUVER, B.C. – The Vancouver Port Authority (VPA) is stepping up security measures with more than $3 million per year in additional spending.

The increased security comes nearly a year after the terrorist attacks against the U.S. last year.

“As part of our ongoing leadership role in port security and together with our stakeholder committee, we have made great progress utilizing the latest technologies to provide better security both before Sept. 11 and in the year following,” says Capt. Gordon Houston, president and chief executive officer of the VPA. The increased security measures include implementing a $2.5 million VACIS gamma ray machine used to screen containers. The VPA has also carried out risk assessments and matched Level 3 U.S. security capabilities at its cruise terminals.

There is also more limited access at the port, with workers having to show a card to get through gates, and the entire port is monitored 24-hours a day by closed circuit television cameras. The VPA has also closed certain access points to its roadway from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.