Security at ports
to increase for holidaySpecial precautions
will also be taken for
ports in Hawaii
WASHINGTON >> U.S. ports remain vulnerable to the kind of speedboat attack that crippled the USS Cole and killed 17 sailors, Coast Guard Commandant Tom Collins said yesterday.
Special precautions will be taken to protect the ports in Boston and New York during the upcoming political conventions, but the ports will stay open, Collins said in an Associated Press interview.
In Honolulu, federal and local law enforcement officials plan to heighten port security for the Independence Day re-flagging and inaugural sailing of the Pride of Aloha cruise ship. The event is expected to draw hundreds.
"With the holiday (July 4) ... coming up, we're very much concerned with ensuring everyone's safety," said FBI Honolulu spokesman Arnold Laanui. "The top terrorist targets usually tend to be tourist venues or military targets."
Hawaii Coast Guard Lt. Col. Todd Offutt said his agency has been working with state port officials to map out a security plan for the Pride's docking.
He also said Hawaii's remote location can make port security a challenge, especially because officials are unable to call a neighboring state for help.
"Our ports are very accessible. The challenge, of course, is to make sure that we have a good common operational picture," Offutt said. "Because we are so remote, we really have to look to each other. Our dependency on other agencies is just that much more important."
The Cole was in port in Yemen when a speedboat loaded with explosives rammed it and blew a hole in its side in October 2000. U.S. officials have warned al-Qaida favors such attacks. Also, a recent FBI bulletin warned that terrorist organizations might try to plant waterborne mines in inner tubes along America's coast.
Collins said port security has improved vastly since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. But he said it would be "very, very difficult" to intercept a small boat loaded with explosives and on a suicide mission.
He said there are about 58 million to 70 million recreational boats in the United States, in addition to pleasure boats and fishing vessels that come from foreign ports. International security standards that took effect yesterday do not cover any of them.
The Coast Guard is considering requiring fishing vessels and recreational boats from foreign ports to submit more information.
When cruise ships come into Hawaiian waters, precautionary measures are stepped up, and mariners are required to get permission before entering special "security zones," Offutt said.
"The security zones are in effect for all the islands ... (so that) we can kind of track and identify vessels," he said.
As for the political conventions, Collins said there are no plans to shut down the ports in New York or Boston nor to restrict pleasure boats. The Coast Guard does plan a "very robust" presence during the events and will be ready to increase security in case intelligence indicates a new terrorist threat.
Among the Coast Guard's new capabilities is intelligence coordination. It checks every visiting foreign ship crew member's background against multiple national security databases.
It has an intelligence coordination center at the Office of Navy Intelligence and a center that tracks when oceangoing vessels enter U.S. ports, Collins said.
The Coast Guard has trained and deployed eight 100-person special operations teams to combat terrorists since the 9/11 attacks.
Armed sea marshals now travel on oceangoing ships. Eleven Navy patrol boats have been placed under Coast Guard command to protect U.S. ports.
The Coast Guard denied entry to, detained or removed six foreign ships of the 270 that planned to call on U.S. ports yesterday, the first day ships had to comply with the new security rules. Three freight vessels were trying to reach Miami; a passenger vessel was detained in Jacksonville, Fla.; an industrial ship was restricted in Mobile, Ala.; and a cargo ship was denied entry to Providence, R.I.
Star-Bulletin reporter Mary Vorsino and the Associated Press contributed to this report.