'Flag of convenience' raises concern (Osama bin Laden owns fleet of cargo ships!)

The Everett Herald ^ | June 14, 2002 | AP

[Eva]

Did you see the announcement that the US Coast Guard is training a team of special forces to board vessels with bomb sniffing dogs before they enter the US ports? This is most definitely the reason for these precautions.

[KirklandJunction]

"Criminal and terrorist activity impossible under (US) flag carriers"? Gee, I thought all four of those airliners hijacked on 9/11 were American flag carriers. I guess boats are different in this regard? How silly I am to question the intelligence of a federal bureaucrat.

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

What unnerves me is the idea that at this very moment there's a bunch of boats, loaded with explosives and/or scuba gear, kayaks, etc., hidden from view in or near major harbors or bridges all across America's coastline. Just waiting for the word on WHEN to do it. Don't forget, just because 9/11 was successful doesn't mean they haven't had another plan in the works for years as well. Or several plans.

[no-s]

We have a perfectly good tool in the constitution - letters of marque and reprisal. Let us do it - get the government out of the way - and earn a profit as well - heh heh....

[Mo1]

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[wcbtinman]

So, if we know Bin Laden owns the ships, why haven't they been confiscated?

The BS meter is starting to rise.

[Chuckster]

The steady decline of our merchant marine fleet has bothered me for years. did you know that the last US flag passenger ship was impounded for port fees in Honolulu late last year?

[eno_]

Do some math:

Let's say it takes 5 minutes to run a container through a $1M x-ray machine and evaluate the images. That means 250,000 machine-minutes per day for 50,000 containers, or about 4167 hours. If you had 1000 machines at a cost of $1B, that would be 4.2 hours per machine per day - leaving enough slack to account for fluctuations in traffic through our ports. Let's double the number of machines to account for multiple transport modes (truck, rail, etc.) that might need specialized machines or multiple locations in a port - that makes $2B. That's still 1/7th the cost of the airline bailout. Similar math shows the airlines could in fact be examining all checked baggage, and that the cost would easily be covered by the new "security fee" which is going God knows where.

Now to finance this: $25 per container yields $1,250,000/day for 20 working days per month or $25,000,000/month. What does long term govt. debt cost these days?

[jonatron]

Check out this Site about Taylor and Liberia

[vannrox]

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[Sword_Svalbardt]

Time for some target practice. Let the fleet loose on these animals! Mark 48 bait, and Harpoon bait! We need to improve our weapons targeting ability!

[Robert357]

Did you see the announcement that the US Coast Guard is training a team of special forces to board vessels with bomb sniffing dogs before they enter the US ports?

Yes and they are setting up 4 swat-like fast response teams one of which is going to be in Seattle.

[Robert357]

What unnerves me is the idea that at this very moment there's a bunch of boats ....

I don't think that boats could be tied up at docks like that. Anchored maybe, but not tied up at the docks. A long time ago, I helped put myself through college by longshoring during the summer as a casual card member of ILWU. Longshoremen may be a lot of things, but they use to be very curious about cargo and about what was aboard ships. Also pilots who bring the ships into the harbor like to know what they are guiding into port. I do think that the article I saw about Coast Guard teams of explosive sniffing dogs and seamen being lowered by wire onto ships prior to entering harbors, is tip off and comfort.

[VOA]

Mayor Thomas M. Menino asked a federal judge Friday to ban a tanker containing flammable
liquefied natural gas from entering Boston Harbor on Monday because of fears of a
possible terrorist attack.

About 20 years ago, early in college, I read an article about the potential damage
that would be done if someone lit up a liquified natural gas tanker in New York Harbor.
Pretty devastating.
Now I worry that they'd try to light of more than one at the same time.
And maybe in multiple ports...

[VOA]

I am beginning to see that there is a lot that is wrong with our ability to inspect and protect our ports.

I don't know if this is totally true, but I've heard that boat headed up the Mississippi (e.g.,
to St. Louis) don't get their customs inspection at New Orleans, if the
upstream destination is the place they first dock in the USA.

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

I was thinking more along the lines of boats stowed away in the Florida Keys for example, covered with brush to avoid aerial detection, but within hailing distance of a target (they could do the attack on a busy day when LOTS of pleasure craft are in the water). After all, lots of drugs make it into the company undetected, why not a few pounds of Cobalt or some other radioactive material, shielded and tucked in the bilge.

How would we stop such an attack, without advanced knowledge of it, or credible leads that might lead us to scrutinizing such areas enough that the would-be attacker gets caught in the dragnet.

I'm just curious about the feasibility of actually bringing in dirty bomb materials, or C4 for a bridge attack, or a fertilizer-based bomb like that used in the OKC bombing. Or even large quantities of weapons-grade anthrax, stored in a rusty, innocuous looking drum.

The scenarios are endless, it all comes down to plausibility.

[Eva]

The problem with the SWAT-like teams in Seattle is that the questionable cargo will be shipped through BC and trucked or rail shipped across the border.

[Senator_Palpatine]

>>>>>As time goes on, I think we will better understand why our government leaders are so concerned about the potential for harm that they have declared war on terrorism. I would like to see Congress pass a declaration of war!>>>>>>>

I understand your concern...It is a matter of procedures but I feel confident we can overcome it.The motion for the Republic to commission a Grand Army takes precedent...in order for Congress to pass a Declaration of War!It is quite safe from Bin Laden's pitiful little band,an Entire Legion of My Best Troops awaits them...

[rageaholic]

why are Osama's ships not impounded? I thought going after assets was part of the War On Terror. This war on terror is really starting to suck. Today Bush called Islam a "noble religeon" what a joke.

[germanicus]

Agreed. Real live target practice. Take some pressure off Vieques for a while.