Ships and ports unprepared for deadly terrorist strikes from sea

TERROR strikes from the sea could be even more catastrophic than those from the air, intelligence officials say. They fear a hijacked oil tanker could be rigged with explosives or a radioactive dirty bomb could be smuggled ashore in a shipping container.

But almost 5,000 ships and about four out of every five of American ports, ferry terminals and fuel-chemical tank farms failed to meet a Wednesday deadline for submitting security plans showing how they will deal with those potential threats.

Security measures to prevent attacks at seaports and inland waterways have fallen far behind efforts to protect airports and airplanes since the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Congress last year ordered the maritime shipping industry to tighten security amid fears that an attack on a port could kill thousands, cause

tremendous property damage and cost tens of billions of dollars in lost revenue to the US economy.

Coast Guard officials said the deadline for submitting the plans was met by about 5,200 of 10,000 ships told to submit them and only 1,100 of 5,000 port facilities despite a potential fine of 20,000.

"We do not have all the plans," Lt Cmdr Jeff Carter said. "We recognise that despite our best efforts, there are those who won't comply for a variety of reasons."

Wednesday also was the deadline for airports to start screening all airline baggage electronically for explosives. But Deputy Homeland Security Secretary James Loy told Congress two months ago that the deadline would not be met at five airports. "A handful" of airports still don't have the screening equipment installed, said Darrin Kayser, a Transportation Security Administration spokesman.

In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks, Congress required the electronic screeners to be in place a year ago. But when it became clear it couldn't be met, lawmakers moved the deadline back a year.

One reason ships, ports and other facilities were missing their deadline is they were given too little time, said Maureen Ellis, a spokeswoman for the Association of American Port Authorities. The government didn't finalise what it wanted until October 22, though the industry was told July 1 they had six months to submit the plans.

The new law requires a difficult attitude adjustment, said Thomas Allegretti, president of the American Waterways Association, which represents owners and operators of tugboats and barges.