sure, the coast guard does what you say - but with only 5-7% of the cargo inspected, there is an implicit security component that is a de-facto consequence of them running the facility. the security concerns were always "backdoor", its not like we expect the Emir to walk into a DPW board meeting and say "when are we shipping the dirty bomb into NY harbor". it was always a fear that the company could be infiltrated on the UAE side, perhaps setting up a conduit with jihadis in the US, setup as a subcontractor at one of the port facilities.
Schumers wife is the NYC DOT commissioner.
this deal was a mess from the moment it was revealed, at every level. you cannot have the president out there - talking about security every single day, asking for support for things like the Patriot Act, sensitizing americans to security concerns domestically, searching grandma at airport check-in - you cannot do all these things, and then turn over some port operations to a state owned Arab company and say "its no big deal, trust us". no way you can make that sale.
As you say, if only 5 to 7 percent of the cargo is inspected, what prevented terrorists getting into the ports before now? If I remember correctly, the idiot shoe bomber was British, the same country that P&O is from. Home grown British terrorists destroyed a tube, what prevented British grown terrorists from using the containers unloaded by P&O? A communist Chinese company, hence it is state owned, runs terminals in the port of Los Angeles. What is to prevent them from doing a dirty deed should the temp heat up over Taiwan?
My point is, if security is a problem, it is the problem of the United States to fix through the Coast Guard and US Customs, not to run around like chickens with our heads cut off screaming the sky is falling.
"it was always a fear that the company could be infiltrated on the UAE side, perhaps setting up a conduit with jihadis in the US, setup as a subcontractor at one of the port facilities."
What is to prevent "jihadis" from infiltrating their armed forces and back stabbing us in Afghanistan? Or destroying our naval vessels when they are being serviced in UAE ports? If you live like this then the "jihadis" win because you're chasing shadows.