A Senate committee approved a major maritime security bill Tuesday that would require the Homeland Security Department to take steps toward scanning all cargo containers at foreign ports before they are shipped to the United States.

While marking up the measure, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved an amendment by Senator Frank Lautenberg, a New Jersey Democrat, to require Homeland Security to set up test programs at three foreign ports within a year.

Through those ports all cargo containers will be given a radiation and image scan before being loaded on ships bound for the United States.

After analyzing results from the test programs, Homeland Security officials would be required to implement a program for scanning all U.S.-bound cargo at every foreign port as soon as practicable and possible.

Lautenberg said his amendment originally called for cargo to be scanned at every foreign port within five years. But he changed the amendment to help win its approval.

The underlying bill would provide eight hundred thirty five million dollars a year for maritime security.

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