As part of an ongoing series of pilot tests at ferry operations around the country to evaluate technology and procedures, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) lat month began a three-week pilot test American Science and Engineering‘s [ASEI] Z Backscatter Van (ZBV) to screen vehicles boarding at the Port Jefferson Ferry Terminal in New York. The ZBV was previously used in a pilot test by TSA in 2004 at the Lewes, Del., terminal of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry. In the Port Jefferson-Bridgeport (Conn.) Ferry pilot, the agency is testing new operational procedures, a TSA spokeswoman tells TR2. In the Port Jefferson pilot, TSA plans to screen all vehicles as they arrive at the terminal and before entering the staging area. Drivers proceed slowly past the ZBV and then stop for about 10 to 15 seconds while Transportation Security Officers analyze the X- Ray images. Explosive detection canine teams are used to inspect a vehicle that is sent for secondary screening. In the test five years ago, the ZBV was driven alongside passenger vehicles as they waited in the queue before boarding the ferry. TSA is leasing the ZBV from AS&E. The total cost of the pilot is $200,000.