North Korea Fires Missiles in Show of Force
Missiles flew far enough to reach any part of S.Korea. North Korea fired three ballistic missiles on Tuesday which flew between 500 and 600 km (300-360 miles) into the sea off its east coast, South Korea's military said, the latest in a series of provocative moves by the isolated country. The U.S. military said it detected launches of what it believed were two Scud missiles and one Rodong, a home-grown missile based on Soviet-era Scud technology. North Korea has fired both types numerous times in recent years, an indication that unlike recent launches that were seen as efforts by the North to improve its missile capability, Tuesday's were meant as a show of force.
Are our Ports Safe?
Two recent reports have raised alarms about the security of our ports and the cargo that enters them by containers every day. The top North American container ports handle more than 35 million containers per year bringing vital goods to U.S. homes and companies every day. Without this freight, our economy would be at a standstill. But one nuclear device placed into a shipping container could wreak havoc not just at the port it enters, but also with the surrounding population of our busiest ports such as New York/New Jersey, Los Angeles, and Long Beach.
US Lawmakers Warning of Dirty Bomb Threat to US Ports
GateKeeper USA Inc. (OTC Symbol: GTKP) announced that in a recent Bloomberg article, it was reported by Jeff Bliss that the US Backs Off All Cargo Scanning Goals. As reported by CBP (Customs & Boarder Protection), officials' port X-ray and Gamma-ray machines were only able to facilitate scanning 4.1% of the millions of containers that arrive in US ports each year. That percentage is consistent over the last several years. Even though DHS has publically admitted that with the utilization of existing technologies 100% screening of incoming containers would be nearly impossible, lawmakers continue to favor the mandate and stated that they are concerned about terrorists detonating a dirty bomb at a port, killing workers and rendering the facility and surrounding areas uninhabitable for years.
Warning Regarding Ship Bomb Issued
The UK intelligence agency MI5 issued a Caution advising industry of the possibility that terrorists might attempt to deliver bombs by means of aircraft or ships. In particular, it notes that it would be possible to ship-bomb a port or coastal city by building a very large – or nuclear – device into a merchant ship. MI5 acknowledges that this is a threat that only governments and the industry concerned can effectively do anything about (although it is unclear what the maritime industry is supposed to do to prevent such an event). (HK Law)
Port Security Legislation Reinforces Security
Like so many areas of our economy since the terrorist attacks of September 11, the port and maritime areas of the United States are being scrutinized for vulnerability to terrorism. Catastrophic scenarios are all too easy to imagine, and the threats can come from so many directions. To illustrate the complexity of the maritime law enforcement challenge, the Coast Guard Commandant, Admiral James M. "Imagine for a moment the information requirements associated with a hypothetical 6,000 TEU flag-of-convenience container ship with a multi-national crew cobbled together by a hiring agent who works for an Algerian vessel operator who chartered the vessel from a Greek ship owner whose corporate offices are in the Cayman Islands.
Potential for Nuclear Attack Using Tankers
The Congressional Research Service issued a Report on the potential for a terrorist nuclear attack using oil tankers. The report discusses the possibility of terrorists planting (perhaps surreptitiously or perhaps while the tanker is at sea) a simple nuclear device – possibly six feet long, six inches in diameter, and weighing 1,000 pounds – in a cargo tank of an oil tanker bound for a U.S. port. The report then discusses how difficult it would be for U.S. officials to detect the presence of the weapon. What the report does not discuss at any length is how this device would actually be gotten through the small access hole of the cargo tank of an oil tanker and then placed securely inside the cargo tank.
Report Warns of Attacks on Cruise Ships, Ferry Boats
Limiting maritime security to screening cargo arriving at U.S. seaports is a dangerous mistake, according to a new RAND Corporation report, which suggests that cruise ships and ferry boats offer rich and often easier targets for terrorists. "Focusing solely on securing the container supply chain without defending other parts of the maritime environment is like bolting down the front door of a house and leaving the back door wide open," said Henry Willis, a RAND researcher and a co-author of the report in a press release. According to the report, Maritime Terrorism: Risk and Liability, attacks on civilian cruise ships and ferry boats would fulfill the three main goals of contemporary terrorist attacks -- visibility, destruction and disruption.
