Threat Assessment:  Experts Say Seaports Vulnerable to WMD

By David Ruppe

Global Security Newswire

Since the Sept. 11 attacks, the United States remains unprepared to detect and prevent an act of terrorism using weapons of mass destruction in the nation’s seaports, a panel of experts told a hearing of the U.S. Senate Government Affairs Committee yesterday.

“The biggest threat in the maritime industry may not necessarily be a rogue vessel slamming into a bridge, but an inter-modal container being used to transport a weapon of mass destruction into the United States, said retired U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Richard Larrabee, who is director of Port Commerce at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, in a written statement.

America’s 361 sea and river ports handle 95 percent of the country’s international trade. Last year Larrabee’s port alone, the nation’s third largest, handled over 3 million containers, 560,000 autos, and more petroleum products than any other port in the country.

But a surge of security measures since Sept. 11, including the boarding of all vessels in his port, has tapered off, according to Larrabee. He said additional patrolling Coast Guard cutters have shrunk from 20 to one and extra reservists from 1,000 to 100.

“Currently, there are not enough resources in terms of personnel and equipment to maintain that level of security over an extended period within the Port of New York and New Jersey, let alone the rest of the nation,” he said.

Better Information Required

The panelists said there is currently no reliable way to detect and intercept many of the illegal and dangerous people and goods that enter U.S. ports. A presidential commission on crime and security at seaports reported last year that security at seaports generally ranged from “poor to fair,” with few positive exceptions.

Port security could be important to the U.S. war on terrorism as Osama bin Laden is believed to have a multimillion-dollar secret fleet of ships flying a variety of flags, allowing him to hide his ownership and to transport goods, arms, drugs and recruits, according to an Oct. 8 London Times story.

In addition to increasing resources, Larrabee recommended greater international governmental responsibility for verifying the contents of ships at sea. U.S. port authorities must be given better information sooner about ships entering port, he said.

Rob Quartel, chief executive officer of Freightdest Technologies, similarly said countermeasures at U.S. ports need to be preventive, involving screening and possibly inspecting ships’ cargoes in their country of origin.

“If a terrorist device gets to a port in the United States, it’s almost too late,” he said in his written statement.

Further, the roles of federal, state and local authorities must be clarified, said Larrabee, asking, “Who’s in charge?”

A bill introduced this year by Senators Ernest Hollings (D-S.C.) and Bob Graham (D-Fla.), called the Port and Maritime Security Act, is intended to address the commission’s recommendations.

It would improve reporting on crews, passengers and imported cargo, provide more x-ray scanning equipment for the U.S. Customs Service and grant and loan money to local ports for security infrastructure. It was passed by the Senate Commerce Committee, and Hollings hopes it will be attached to a major bill.

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Pakistan:  Scientists Petition for Release

The Lahore High Court in Pakistan put off two petitions Monday for the release of seven Pakistani scientists detained for questioning concerning suspected links with Afghanistan (see GSN, Nov. 29).  Pakistani lawyer Ismail Qureshi appealed for the release of one of the scientists, Sultan Bashiru-Din Mehmood, on behalf of Mehmood’s mother.  Qureshi said authorities violated Pakistani law when they failed to apprise Mehmood of the charges against him and did not grant him access to a lawyer.  The judge hearing the case rejected Qureshi’s argument. 

The court also considered a petition for the release of other scientists detained with Mehmood (Pakistan News International, Dec. 4).

According to earlier reports, authorities have questioned Mehmood and several other scientists about possible links between their activities in Afghanistan and al-Qaeda’s alleged efforts to produce biological, radiological and nuclear weapons (see GSN, Nov. 26).

According to the Pakistani newspaper DAWN, M.D. Tahir, another lawyer who was also representing a petition for the release of the scientists, told the court that the petition has been pending for nearly a month (see GSN, Nov. 12).  Tahir said that Mehmood had not been informed of the grounds of his detention nor had he been allowed to communicate with anyone, including his mother, Fazilat Bibi (DAWN, Dec. 4).

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U.S.-Latvia:  Latvia Supports Nonproliferation Pact

Latvia stated its support Tuesday for a draft agreement with the United States to increase cooperation on combating the spread of weapons of mass destruction, according to the Latvian government press office.  Under the agreement, the United States would provide equipment and training to help Latvian law enforcement, fire fighting and revenue service agents to combat weapons proliferation.  In exchange, Latvia would simplify procedures for U.S. officials to enter and leave the country (Tallinn Baltic News Agency, Dec. 4 in FBIS-SOV, Dec. 5).

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