Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and VeriTainer Corporation have entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA). The CRADA will be used to refine and enhance VeriTainer’s patented crane mounted scanning (CMS) technology.
The CRADA will be in place for three-and-a-half years and require approximately $4m in funding. LLNL will work in cooperation with VeriTainer’s scientists and engineers to enhance both gamma and neutron detection sensitivity, while maintaining the capabilities of VeriTainer’s CMS. The system has been operated for the past four years in field tests run at three ports and in five different terminals.
Steven Kreek, the leader of LLNL’s Nuclear Detection and Countermeasures Research Program, stated that under the CRADA the Laboratory will use its expertise not only to optimize the sensitivity of the CMS, but also to leverage the platform to deliver an effective counterterrorism system.
“This technology occupies a unique security niche in that it will be used to scan cargo that is passed between ships, known as transshipment, that doesn’t actually enter a country until reaching its final destination. This technology will help ensure that cargo containers are not used for transporting radiological or nuclear threats,” Kreek added.