Vessel Bomb Threat a Fake
The Coast Guard completed a safety and security boarding of a foreign-flagged motor-vessel headed into the port of Philadelphia after receiving a threat of a bomb onboard. At approximately 10 a.m., a pre-deployed boarding team onboard the M/V Cenk Kaptanoglu, a Turkish flagged 611-foot cargo ship, received a bomb threat from a crewmember. The team immediately notified the Captain of the Port of Philadelphia who directed the vessel to turn around and head to the Big Stone Anchorage in the Delaware Bay to await a joint boarding crew consisting of FBI, Coast Guard Investigation Service and a Field Intelligence Support Team to verify the safety and security of the vessel. After a full sweep, no bomb was found onboard the vessel.
Intoxicated Master of Towing Vessel Sentenced
An Alabama resident and master of an inland towing vessel was sentenced Thursday for a January 2004 incident where he was found to be operating in U.S. waters under the influence of alcohol. Daniel L. Ferrell, 63, of Atmore Ala., was sentenced by Judge James J. Brady of the U.S. District Court in Baton Rouge, La., to serve two years probation, 100 hours of community service and will be required to participate in an alcohol assessment program. On Jan. 16, 2004, Ferrell was piloting the City of Port Allen when it struck the Brusly Railroad Lift Bridge on the Port Allen-Morgan City alternate route waterway. Investigators from the Coast Guard's Marine Safety Unit in Baton Rouge who responded to the initial incident tested Ferrell for alcohol.
