Potential for explosion closes Morehead City port

WRAL ^ | 1/12/2010

[TC Rider]

Morehead City, N.C. — Authorities closed the port at Morehead City on Tuesday morning after nine containers filled with "highly explosive materials" were punctured.

U.S. Highway 70 between Radio Island and 5th Street in Morehead City was closed to traffic and pedestrians, officials said.

[MestaMachine]

If those things had gone up, and if this is found to be islamic terrorism and sabotage...
This is going to wipe out the last vestige of support for any muslim anywhere in the countryside. These containers don’t just self destruct.

[July4]

Sunny Point Ammunition Depot is on the Cape Fear River, near Wilmington, NC. There are two major ports in NC: Morehead City and Wilmington.

[RadiationRomeo]

My understanding is that PETN is normally shipped ‘wet’. It is much more volatile when it dries out.

Maybe puncturing the containers would cause the PETN to dry out. If the puncture marks are small enough that they were only discovered by good luck then the terrorist goal was that they would explode automatically when they dry out enough, or possibly normal activites like moving the containers would cause them to explode.

[BwanaNdege]

Drop one container on several others.

They will crush/puncture.

[Constitution Day]

Thank you. I was not sure.

[mreerm]

http://www.nowpublic.com/world/n-c-port-shut-down-containers-explosives-punctured-2555239.html

story says the container punctures were discovered @ 4:45am

“A voluntary evacuation was in order for the area after punctured containers were discovered around 4:45 A.M.”

[MarineMom613]

They have some deployments going on this week w/ navy.

[TC Rider]

What would you NEED to puncture one of these containers??? A dremel?? 9 snipers??

I can answer this one. We have a 40' intermodel container at our range. Handgun ammo will normally not penetrate. Hunting ammo, steel core ammo in a AK will. A .50 will go through it like it's not even there.

[rockinqsranch]

I’ve read the entire article, and see nothing in there describing what type of “containers” they are reporting as “Punctured”.

If they are reporting nine Ocean Cargo Containers, then YES those things are punctured all the time. I played nursemaid to that equipment for 35 years in the Long Beach, Los Angeles Harbor areas. I’m retired now, and I never want to see a container again ;)

If they are reporting other than Ocean Cargo Containers, then YES those too get punctured, and as one other commentor mentioned on this thread YES Mr. Magoo is alive and well in the harbors around not only this country, but every other harbor around the World as well.

[mreerm]

http://www.witn.com/home/headlines/81225002.html?iref=topnews

this story implies that the punctured containers are leaking...

“North Carolina Emergency Management says the leak is contained to land,...”

[NCCarrs]

MOTSU is on the Cape Fear River, below Wilmington, NC and above Southport, NC on same side of river.

[wbill]

My bet? There will be a crane / forklift operator that's looking for work by 5pm tonite.

Maybe even sooner.

[GATOR NAVY]

Morehead City, NC is just up the road from the Marine Base at Camp Lejeune. The port at Morehead City is used frequently when Marines deploy, or return, from overseas by Navy ships.

Yep. I pulled in there many times when I was on an amphib out of Little Creek. It's a nasty little port-narrow entrance channel, screwy currents, small turning basin-I never liked it. It's also one of the small number of ports I pulled into multiple times but never got liberty there.

[Constitution Day]

Thank you! I was mistaken.

[GATOR NAVY]

NOAA Booklet Chart of the port here, chart 11547.

[gardengirl]

Count yourself lucky. You didn’t get any liberty b/c there’s NOTHING to do here! LOL

[BluH2o]

I was on an amphib out of Little Creek ...

As a 2nd MarDiv type I deployed out of Morehead City several times back in the mid 1960's. Boarded an LST twice, a LSD and APA each once, on deployments to Spain, the Med, and Vieges, PR.

[COBOL2Java]

Hey, the system works! Only four out of nine! < / sarcasm off >

[GATOR NAVY]

Count yourself lucky. You didn’t get any liberty b/c there’s NOTHING to do here!

For the enterprising sailor, there is always something to do ;-)

Seriously though, by the time in my career where I was pulling in to Morehead City I would have been happy just to go out to Ft. Macon and look around.

[TC Rider]

Appears you were right about Mr Magoo on the forklift.

Morehead City, N.C. — Nine drums filled with an explosive compound were punctured by a forklift early Tuesday as they were being unloaded at the state port in Morehead City, prompting officials to close the port.

Morehead City Mayor Jerry Jones Jr. said the 50-kilogram drums contained pentaerythritol tetranitrate. Also known as PETN, the material is used in plastic explosives and as a drug to treat heart conditions.

Appears the 'containers' were drums.