UK At Risk of Sea Borne Terror Attack
May 18, 2009 by national
Filed under World Report
Britain is vulnerable to terrorist attack from the sea because no single body is responsible for protecting the UK’s coast, MPs have warned.
Just nine Royal Navy ships along with a “motley collection” of police and coastguard boats guard a shoreline more than 7,000 miles long.
The Commons defence committee suggests developing a “deterrent capability” to ward off sea-borne attacks.
The Ministry of Defence has insisted clear procedures are in place.
Concerns over the UK’s preparations for dealing with a maritime terrorist threat were raised by the committee.
Reactive forces
Its statement said: “We are concerned at the level of action being taken to address threats to aspects of national infrastructure such as ports.
“What assets are available for maritime security tend to be reactive forces.”
The statement continued: “There is a strong case for developing a deterrent capability in relation to threats to civilian maritime targets.
“We are not satisfied that an intelligence-led approach is sufficient.”
At present the Royal Navy has six warships, two patrol vessels and a support tanker protecting UK waters.
They are backed up by 120 police boats, five coastguard patrol boats and five UK Border Agency vessels.
But the Conservatives have called for a full review of the defensive capability.
U.S. Readies To Detect Nuclear Material At Sea
August 29, 2008 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
Dozens of law enforcement and emergency boats in one of the nation’s largest and most congested waterways will be outfitted this fall with radiation detectors aimed at preventing terrorists from smuggling deadly weapons into the country.
The first-of-its kind test in Washington’s Puget Sound will try to find out whether radioactive or nuclear bomb-making components could be picked up if they’re hidden on board a small boat cruising into a busy harbor.
“We’ll all suffer the consequences if we’re not able to detect something,” says Coast Guard Capt. Chip Strangfeld, who is working on the project with the Homeland Security Department’s Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO).
DNDO chief Vayl Oxford says he puts the nation’s coasts “at the top of the list” of security challenges. “It’s one of the most difficult threats we have,” he says.
Puget Sound was chosen for the tests because it is so big and so busy, both with small recreational boats and cargo ships.
The area is home to two commercial ports and the nation’s largest ferry system. It’s the nation’s top region for non-commercial pleasure boats from overseas, and 750,000 cruise ship passengers and 15 billion gallons of oil move through its waters each year, according to Seattle Fire Department Assistant Chief A.D. Vickery.
“There’s a huge amount of movement of people, ships and cargo,” he says. “We’ve got some big, big challenges here, and the federal government has recognized there are some porous areas we need to address.”
The detector testing comes in response to security concerns about the detonation of a weapon of mass destruction on U.S. soil.
