Search of ship finds nothing abnormal

The Daily News Longview Washington ^ | Dec 07, 2003 | Hope Anderson

[Oorang]

A Coast Guard inspection of a freighter docked at the Port of Longview "didn't uncover or reveal anything," a Coast Guard spokesman said Saturday, but the crew members are not allowed off the ship and security will be maintained until the ship leaves.

"We were not expecting to find anything," Lt. Cmdr. Glynn Smith, the Coast Guard's public affairs officer for the Pacific area, said Saturday by telephone from his office in Alameda, Calif.

The search was routine, according to the Coast Guard, but Longview officials said the security crackdown is the most port activity since the Sept. 11, 2001, security measures.

"We had some intelligence and thought the prudent thing to do would be to secure the vessel, inspect it and provide security while it's in port," Smith said. "This is just precautionary; there's no active threat."

During its time at the Port of Longview, though, the crew is not allowed off the Athena, and the Coast Guard will maintain 24-hour vigilance.

Smith said he thinks the reason the crew members can't disembark is because of a lack of visas.

He said the freighter is scheduled to depart Wednesday or Thursday for Australia.

While the Athena is docked in Longview, a ring of 24-hour security will be maintained, Smith said. The Coast Guard brought in two boats from Seattle's maritime safety security team, a Customs and Borders Protection agent will man the pier to prevent anyone from boarding the ship and three security officers will stay onboard until the Athena departs.

The Coast Guard said the ship, which arrived at the Port of Longview Friday evening, is sailing under a Bahaman flag, but the Port of Longview listed the Athena as flying Greek colors.

The Athena was last docked in Pusan, South Korea, Smith said.

The vessel's destination was the Port of Longview's Berth 5 to pick up 26,150 metric tons of calcide petroleum coke, a byproduct of the oil refining process, port spokeswoman Marie Wise told The Daily News Friday.

The product, which is shipped to the port via rail from a British Petroleum refinery in Cherry Point, Wash., is used in the aluminum smelting process and typically is exported to Brazil, Australia and other countries, she said.

The Coast Guard has boarded roughly a half-dozen vessels off the coast of Astoria, near the mouth of the Columbia or on the open Pacific, during the past two weeks, a Coast Guard petty officer first class from Portland told The Daily News Friday. She declined to give her name.

She said the Coast Guard had been planning to board the Athena for weeks.

[LayoutGuru2]

Almost forgot to mention a prominent landmark that is seen (over on the Oregon side) on the drive back south out of Longview on I-5.

Trojan Nuclear Power Plant

<\tinfoil>

[Cindy]

No tinfoil necessary.
Good photos/Good discussion thread.

[LayoutGuru2]

Trojan was decomissioned (the Greens were jumping for joy) a couple years ago. I believe the facility is still home to several hundred fuel rods and other assorted nuclear waste.

[Oorang]

Great photos LG2. One of my brothers has been with DoD for years, has friends in the CIA. Maybe he can get you a ops job!

I haven't heard anything in the Portland/Seattle news about this ship since it's arrival; have you? I wonder how long it is going to be in Longview considering they are not letting anyone off ship.

[LayoutGuru2]

I recall the original story stating that the ship was due to leave today or Thursday. I feel that the 'harassment' they received is intended to send a message.

[LayoutGuru2]

Funny you should mention a job. I've been unemployed for two weeks now. My former position was recently out-sourced to India - I kid you not. I have a line on a new position in Rochester, NY - Might here some good news on that by the first of the year.

[martin_fierro]

More on this today

[piasa]

fy

[Travis McGee]

(From the other thread, repeated here.)

We obviously must have acted on intell. Sometimes terrorist organizations use false tips as a "trace element" to test their communications security. This may just have been a test of agent reliablity etc on the part of AQ. If the "tipped" ship is searched, they know they have a leak and plug it, or go to alternate comms for the "real" act of terrorism involving a ship.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[Lady Heron]

Sometimes terrorist organizations use false tips as a "trace element" to test their communications security. This may just have been a test of agent reliablity etc on the part of AQ. If the "tipped" ship is searched, they know they have a leak and plug it, or go to alternate comms for the "real" act of terrorism involving a ship.

Don't we try to do this as quietly as possible, so that we can follow the organization back to the source. It seems we and other countries are being very noisy about this one ship for some reason. I think that it would look very strange if other countries gave this ship attention and we let it waltz in here without pulling out all the stops.

[Travis McGee]

Quietly? Sometimes, but many agencies are involved, and not all are good at "quietly." Plus, if a really ripping hot tip is involved that has high credibility, we'd pull out all the stops and quiet be damned. It's a intell war cat and mouse game.

[Oorang]

Sorry to hear about your recent unemployment. Outsourcing to India (or anywhere), fries my wires. Hope things work out soon and you don't have to move to N.Y.

[petercooper]

Search of ship finds nothing abnormal

just some illegal aliens who were prompty put on medicaid, unemployment, given wic checks and housing, drivers licenses and registered to vote as dims..

[Oorang]

Hey, gotta spend all that tax $$ somewhere!

[Dog]

FYI....Shermy posted this on another thread from the looks of the ship you photographed......the M/V ATHENA has been painted...

Here is the Athena from the companies website who owns it.

[LayoutGuru2]

Yes, this picture is of the Athena when it was brand-spankin-new back in '95. I wasn't sure if it was the same ship when I first saw it, but if you examine the photos I took you'll see that it is a match. Looks like they haven't bothered to apply a new coat of paint since she was launched.

Search of ship finds nothing abnormal
			Posted by LayoutGuru2 to Oorang On News/Activism 12/10/2003 2:20:03 AM PST #20 of 36 Here a few shots of the Athena taken yesterday afternoon. It was parked in front of the Transit Shed at Berth #6. PetroBulk's info on the Athena Port of Longview Washington - Sitemap The ship shown in the following .pdf file is docked at Berth #5 Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies

[piasa]

Well, maybe if everyone is noisy about it, it will be that much more difficult for al Qaeda to figure out which of their operatives squealed.

[piasa]

Maybe it had nothin to do with AQ but the rumor could have been useful for a cover story if we were bringing materials from, say, Iraq to destroy, and don’t want anyone knowing about it.

[piasa]

Maybe it had nothin to do with AQ but the rumor could have been useful for a cover story if we were bringing materials from, say, Iraq to destroy, and don’t want anyone knowing about it.