Port Security

[AmericanPride]

Sailor-

The apparent solution is to search the cargo as it is being loaded abroad the vessel.

[tits]

What kind of an economic impact would the sinking of one of those monsters create?

After the news of the Al Qaeda attack on a Saudi oil facility. one has to wonder if the Kooks have plans for seeking a Supertanker off the coast.

I read today where America is the common villain in the Islamic media, movies, radio, and books. Some Sunni leader was reported as saying something to the effect, that we have to stop fighting among ourselves because it shows to the Americans that their opinion of us is justified. To quote another dysfunctional middle age fart: "Doht" "Well no duh."

[Merceditas]

like duh....

That is so right.

[Sailor]

americanpride2 said:

Sailor-

The apparent solution is to search the cargo as it is being loaded abroad the vessel.

I don't know all the details of course, but whether its containerized freight from Europe, cars from Korea or oil from the Mid East each piece of cargo is itemized and and manifested, the manifests are transmitted to Customs and DHS in DC for clearance and that clearance MUST be received in the port of embarkation before that container or auto or other cargo is loaded aboard ship. Containers about which there is any doubt are held off ship until either inspected or the ship sails, happens several hundred times per year is what I understand. It's harder than hell to open and check containers deep below deck or stacked high above deck once loaded aboard ship. Room is at a premium and sometimes there isn't even enough to get the damn container doors open.

Some are checked at random, others because of point of origin or discrepancies in documentation or some other reason.

But something like only 5 to 10% of containerized cargo coming to the US is actually physically inspected either over there or here. Customs and DHS simply do not have the manpower to handle the load.

Until or unless Congress is ready to pony up OUR MONEY to expand Customs manpower by 1000% or so it ain't going to get much better.

Tittus, the sinking of a containership wouldn't cripple our economy, there are quite literally hundreds of them. There would be impact from higher insurance rates and diversion of ships and cargo around the area of attack.

Sink a supertanker? Do you remember the TORRY CANYON sinking off the English coast in 1967 and the environmental disaster that was? TORRY CANYON was SMALL by todays standards but still dumped nearly 120,000 tons of crude into the sea. The average tanker coming out of the Persian Gulf is rated around 250,000 to 300,000 tons.

IF the AQ assholes can manage to sink one of those off the US or European coasts it would likely be TORRY CANYON or worse all over again.