Divers Inspect Cruise Ship after Suspicious Activity

According to reports, Coast Guard divers inspected the hull of a cruise ship docked in Long Beach Harbor after several people reported having seen a small, suspicious boat floating nearby, authorities said. Cruise ship officials called the Coast Guard, after one of four people in the 18-ft. skiff went into the water and pulled himself back out, Coast Guard spokesman said. It is illegal for unauthorized people and boats to come within 100 yards of a docked cruise ship. The regulation was implemented to avoid possible terrorist attacks on cruise ships.

The small boat and its occupants were no longer at the scene by the time police, firefighters, lifeguards and Coast Guard officers arrived. Eleven divers inspected the hull of the ship with the aid of a remote-controlled, submersible camera as the ship's 2,576 passengers boarded. Nothing suspicious was discovered, the Coast Guard said. The Carnival cruise ship departed for its weeklong trip to Mexico two hours late. Source: San Jose Mercury News