Special Ops boarding ship to search for Nuclear Material off the NJ shore

Fox News Alert | 9/12/02 | Brytani

[Brytani]

Fox News just broke in with an alert. Special Op's are now searching a Liberian flagged ship 8 miles off the coast of NJ looking for nuclear material. More information to follow.

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

What if the cargo (presumably small) was offloaded already, either in port or while out at sea leaving behind traces of radioactivity?

That is my fear as well. Which is why I hope they do find something on the boat, or it turns out to be explainable for some other reason.

[mhking]

routine inspection at the Port of Newark

So it did make it to port!? Could anything have been offloaded in Newark?

[Thud]

ping

[The Vast Right Wing]

We don't want anymore liberals out here in Ca. We have an 'infestation', someone forgot to spray...

[UCANSEE2]

I cannot argue about the viability of the test, as far as radiation amounts, and their comparability to smuggling enriched uranium and getting it by current customs inspectors.

My point, and I believe part of their point, was that weapons grade material may have been smuggled over the past 4 years using that route and technique. We weren't checking for it then like we are now.

This stuff could all be in place and the past year has been spent incorporating it into real bombs or dirty bombs.

I.E. Current techniques and equipment, used by customs agents, USCG, etc. are great, but it is unlikely they are trying to get stuff into the country now. It is probably already here.

[mhking]

To keep panic down, otherwise half the east coast would be heading westbound.....

We're 150-200 miles inland, and I'm wondering about heading westbound...

[Hatteras]

My vote is for Fresca. Carbonated soapy water. And they brought it back?!

[Brytani]

While I'll probably be accused of wearing some form of tin-foil headgear, I've always had my suspicions about that plane crash.

[Travis McGee]

Old joke (black humor):

Q: How do you sneak a suitcase nuke into the USA?

A: Hide it in a shipment of cocaine.

Getting a WMD into the USA is a trivial exercise. I want to scream every time I hear some lame brain declare "Saddam has no delivery system or ICBM capable of reaching the USA".

[harpseal]

Just to give some info from yesterdays stories about this ship. The vessel was originally boarded by a USCG inspection team that heard some soises they did not like in the hold. they brought the vessel to a USCG facility to search more when that search showed radioactivity the vessel was brought to a quarantine area off NJ for further inspection thus leading us to this thread.

Stay well - stay safe - stay armed - yorktown

[seeker41]

This is what is worrying me, it made it into port before radioactivity was discovered in the cargo hold.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Joe and all, please go to FR Front Page news where I just reposted the July 22, 2002 article from the Bangkok Post about this (related) troublesome situation. The professor from Chulalagkorn University in Thailand had me quite concerned. I know the USG is watching the situation. We need to remain viligent at this time. Eagles up.

[CWOJackson]

"So it did make it to port!? Could anything have been offloaded in Newark?"

Very little chance of that. Special interest vessels are normally boarded immediately after they tie up.

[rolling_stone]

the other side of the ABC story...

U.S. Customs Service
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20229


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Media Services
Wednesday, Sept 11, 2002 Phone: 202-927-8727

U.S. CUSTOMS SERVICE CLARIFIES THE FACTS ABOUT
ABC NEWS¡¦ SMUGGLING OF HARMLESS DEPLETED URANIUM

Tonight, ABC News is scheduled to broadcast a program alleging that it smuggled 15 pounds of depleted uranium into New York without sparking any questions from the U.S. Customs Service. ABC News also claims that this depleted uranium constituted ¡§nuclear material¡¨ and that this smuggling exercise displayed the weaknesses of U.S. Customs defenses at the nation¡¦s borders.

Contrary to ABC¡¦s report, Customs had targeted this particular shipment and deemed it high-risk days before its arrival at Staten Island aboard the vessel ¡§Singapore Bay.¡¨ On July 28, 2002, Customs officers determined that a select few containers out of the 1,139 containers aboard this ship required mandatory screening upon arrival. Container ¡§GSTU4140048,¡¨ which bore a manifest falsely stating that it only contained personal effects and household goods, in fact, contained ABC¡¦s depleted uranium. This container was one of the select containers deemed by Customs to pose a potential risk.

Upon the arrival of the Singapore Bay on July 30, 2002, Customs officers set aside this container and screened it for security purposes. Customs officers ran the container through a large, X-ray type machine and also screened it for radiation. After carefully reviewing the X-ray type image of the container¡¦s contents and the readings from their radiation detectors, Customs officials correctly determined that the cargo posed absolutely no public threat and ultimately released it.

ABC News agrees that the depleted uranium posed absolutely no public threat. Yet in repeated promotions for its program, ABC claims it smuggled ¡§dirty bomb¡¨ materials and even ¡§nuclear material¡¨ into the country. In truth, depleted uranium is NOT the special nuclear material necessary for a nuclear bomb nor is it attractive as a source of radiation for a ¡§dirty bomb.¡¨ It is called depleted uranium for a reason: it has been depleted of almost all its radioactive content. According to the World Health Organization, depleted uranium is less radioactive than the uranium that occurs naturally in the earth¡¦s soil and oceans. In fact, depleted uranium is often used as counterweight materials in the keels of yachts and sailboats and in the wings of jumbo passenger jets. Hundreds of pounds of depleted uranium routinely enter this country aboard passenger jets that use it as counterweight.

ABC News also suggests that Customs would not be able to detect weapons-grade (or enriched) uranium that is shielded by lead ¡V because such materials emit the same extremely low levels of radiation as depleted uranium. While lead-shielded, enriched uranium may indeed emit the same level of radiation as depleted uranium, this does not mean that Customs cannot detect it. Customs employs an arsenal of inspection technology (other than its radiation detection devices) that could potentially detect such a device. Radiation detection technology is not the only way to detect shielded uranium.

While no border security system is foolproof, U.S. Customs has significantly enhanced its efforts to prevent the introduction of nuclear weapons and dirty bombs into this country. Today, U.S. Customs is engaged in a deadly serious business. U.S. Customs would prefer to expend its time and resources on real threats, not fake ones. Customs stands by its actions in targeting the ABC container for intensive screening and in ultimately releasing this container because it posed no public threat.

TRADITION „\ SERVICE „\ HONOR
Report Drug Smuggling to 1-800-BE-ALERT
http://www.customs.gov

[John_11_25]

damn well get somebody in there that could

I agree 100%. What also concerns me, is that if there is radiation and no bomb. Maybe it has been off loaded already. This ship has a long route, before it gets to the US. Senator Line - Orient Express

2.2. US East Coast / Med / Far East / Med / USA (91 days)

m/v CALIFORNIA SENATOR, m/v HONG KONG SENATOR, m/v IBN SINA, m/v LONDON SENATOR, m/v WASHINGTON SENATOR (1 Owners, 2 Doubles and 2 Single cabins, swimming pool, maximum 8 passengers); m/v PACIFIC SENATOR, m/v PALERMO SENATOR, mv PATMOS SENATOR, SHANGHAI SENATOR (2 Double cabins, swimming pool, maximum 4 passengers); m/v IBN ZAIDOUN (swimming pool, 6 passengers) - all about 40,000 dwt tons

Route: New York - Norfolk - Savannah - Valencia - La Spezia - Gioia Tauro - Suez - Jeddah - Khor Fakkan - Singapore - Busan - Kaohsiung - Hong Kong - Singapore - Suez - Gioia Tauro - La Spezia - Fos sur Mer - Valencia - New York.

[mhking]

the vessel was brought to a quarantine area off NJ for further inspection

Thanks - it sounds like the USCG is on the ball...Now let's hope the teams can do their jobs just as well...

[seeker41]

Thanks, what is your opinion on what is likely going on with this ship?

[browardchad]

The search of the M/V Palermo Senator was based primarily on intelligence suggesting a ship matching its description could be carrying nuclear material or a nuclear device into the United States, the officials said.

This is interesting -- none of the other stories I've read said the intel was out there before the ship arrived (prompting the elevated alert, perhaps?), and the "noises" the Coast Guard heard may simply have been used as a pretext for a search.

[piasa]

Getting a glow on up here in the Northeast

Is Tip O'Neil still aroudn? That could be the emission from his big cherry red nose.

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

eard some soises they did not like in the hold

If I knew the layout of the ship, it would be clearer, but would there be a way to sneak something out of the hold through a porthole, or in some other manner, onto a waiting small boat (or hands of a scuba diver) to avoid seizure? Maybe I have too vivid an imagination.