WASHINGTON -- Terminals operated by DP World will be part of the federal Secure Freight Initiative pilot program to scan U.S.-bound containerized cargo for radiation at selected foreign ports.

The pilot, which Congress ordered as part of the Security and Accountability for Every Port Act passed this year, will commence in early 2007, said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, to "provide security for our ports, our people, and facilitate international trade."

At the facilities operated by Dubai-based DP World - at Port Qasim in Pakistan, the Gamman Terminal at Busan in South Korea, and Southhampton, England -- all containers bound for the U.S. will be scanned. At Singapore, Port Salalah, Oman, and Puerto Cortes, Honduras, a smaller proportion of containers headed to the U.S. will be scanned.

It was DP World's acquisition of P&O's U.S. cargo operations late in 2005 that set off a political storm in Congress, where some members threatened to block the deal over concerns that Arab control of port assets threatened national security.

Dubai eventually agreed to sell the U.S. operations to an American entity, and is expected to announce a sale in the coming weeks.

Qasim and Puerto Cortes will kick off the test in February, Chertoff said. Chertoff said the first phase of the program will screen more than seven percent of all U.S.-bound shipments at the selected ports, with a goal off 100 percent by the end of 2007. Chertoff indicated that the department would like to expand the system as quickly as possible, through cooperation with foreign governments and the private sector.

While the host governments will have inspection authority, Chertoff said final approval will be made by American customs officials.

Chertoff said the components of the system will record the container number, detect the presence of radioactive substances, and x-ray the container's interior. That is similar to the Intermodal Container Inspection System that has been tested at two terminals in Hong Kong.

Unlike ICIS, the new system will transmit data and images to Customs and Border Protection for analysis, either at the port or at the agency's targeting center in Virginia.

Chertoff said the main purpose of the system was to detect a nuclear or "dirty bomb" concealed in a container. If the radiation monitors sound an alarm, the additional data will be examined by Customs personnel to determine if the container needs physical inspection.

The U.S. will contribute $60 million for installation of the equipment, $30 million each from Homeland Security and the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration, whose Megaports initiative will supply radiation-detection equipment to foreign ports.

The Secure Freight Initiative has been turned over to Customs for operation, which will establish a Secure Freight office. Officials said the new program will complement existing programs, such as the Container Security Initiative.