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The Houston Ship Channel (HSC) is a 50-mile long shipping channel that contains many private ports including the Port
of Houston Authority. It has a uniquely critical role with respect to the US petroleum energy supply. The HSC security
is currently planned for significant enhancement under the auspices of the Harris County and the Houston-based Port
Strategic Security Council. The ultimate objective is to comprehensively address the HSC threat matrix. This paper describes
the technical effort in support of this program. The HSC security is a complex system of systems that includes
the physical control access system, the command, control, communication, and information (C4I) system, and the telecom
infrastructure. The strategy is to coordinate the improvements of different components to achieve a high-impact net
effectiveness. A key element is a planned high-capacity backbone optical network for integrating the C4I of many different
HSC administrative-jurisdictional authorities, which will allow unified situational awareness for a more effective
cooperation and coordination. Enhancement of surveillance and intrusion protection is crucial. A feasibility study was
conducted for the HSC assuming common surveillance technologies including visible/IR camera, radar, and sonar. The
method includes survey and theoretical modeling to detect threats of concern in the HSC natural environment. The result
indicates that the HSC unique river-like geography offers both advantages and challenges. The narrow channel allows
ease of waterside surveillance, but likely incurs high cost for its great length. In addition, landside security is also important
owing to its location amidst urban-industrial zone. Lastly, limitation of the various technologies is discussed by
considering the broader challenges of the intrusion problem.
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