Unconventional attack from the sea? [Ship bombs coming?]

Washington Times ^ | July 2, 2006 | By F. Michael Maloof

[aculeus]

To counter terrorists, you need to think like one. That will be the case to thwart terrorists who want to match, if not exceed, the devastating September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.

September 11 came from the sky in a somewhat unconventional way. Terrorists turned fully-fueled airplanes with passengers into cruise missiles, crashing them into the symbols of U.S. economic and military strength: the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

In their desire to at least match the destructive effect of those attacks, terrorists will look for another "creative," unconventional approach.

This time, it could come from the sea.

In recent months, the issue of port security reached fever pitch over the prospect that a government-owned company of the United Arab Emirates was to manage a number of U.S. ports.

Ports oversee the annual movement of some 6 million containers, of which the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Agency inspects perhaps 3-5 percent. Indeed, CBP has little counterterrorism intelligence to support its efforts.

In all, an estimated 7,500 foreign-flag vessels make some 51,000 U.S. port calls each year.

Yet, an attack from the sea may not necessarily come from a container offloaded from a ship.

Instead, merchant ships under terrorist control could be fashioned into floating nuclear bombs. It wouldn't take many such vessels and terrorists with state-sponsor support are assessed to have such a capability.

[ASOC]

And if they did not know how before, or, needed a nudge -here ya go.

Blech

[cripplecreek]

I've thought about it and I think they could cause enormous financial damage. Oil platforms, locks and ports are vulnerable.

[markedmannerf]

Nah it will be a nuke right in the middle of a city.

[Let's Roll]

Yes, I've heard nukes launched from a tramp steamer or freighter into our cities.

But since we can't listen to their phone calls or monitor their purchases - even a tramp steamer ain't cheap - how will we know?

And it will still be Bush's fault.

[ARealMothersSonForever]

May I recommend a search on the Merchant Marine. That or go out and try to lease a container ship, and sail toward any port or platform. *note* following that recommendation is likely to result in the ship, all cargo, and all crew becoming subject to salvage rights. Just sayin'

[Robe]

I herd Bill Gerts say the other day that the Iranians have successfully launched a Scud variant from a steamer

[COEXERJ145]

They don't even need a nuclear device.

Just get a ship full of ammonium nitrate, propane, or LNG into a port and blow it up.

[cripplecreek]

Just about any set of locks along the St Lawrence seaway or the Soo Locks could be blocked and shut down simply by sinking a ship in the right place.

[DB]

A chartered plane from overseas can carry in whatever.

It doesn't need to "land" so customs is completely out of the loop.

Not expensive and much more reliable than a missile and you can hit any target you like.

That's reality.

That's also why the war has to be brought to them. We have to stop it there. We can't stop it here.

[Leo Carpathian]

Loose lips sink whatever. Comon' you braniacs, trying to give muSlimes some ideas of what to do?
STFU!

[cripplecreek]

Do you really believe they couldn't and haven't thought of these things already?

[Leo Carpathian]

Loose lips sink whatever. Comon' you braniacs, trying to give muSlimes some ideas of what to do?
STFU!

[FormerACLUmember]

It will require constant communications and major international financing to accomplish this. Too bad the treasonous, evil New York Times destroyed our ability to monitor these two key factors.

[ChinaThreat]

They have. There was a lucky discovery in an italian port a couple of years ago of a contianer boat filled with an explosive substance. It was being ferried to a location where they think its Al Qaeda operatives were to rendezvous with the ship.

It was mentioned in one of Tom Mintier's books but didn't get a big media play due to the impact it could have on commercial shipping.

[cripplecreek]

STFU!

That's twice mr wizard.

[RightWhale]

This was a fresh idea about 9/12.

[VOA]

Cavitating torpedos are also a great concern...given one could be a "pop-up"
missle and hit before we had a clue of what happened.

[RightWhale]

Whatever happened to the Alqaida Navy. They had three or six ships floating around someplace a couple years ago.

[toddlintown]

"I herd Bill Gerts say the other day that the Iranians have successfully launched a Scud variant from a steamer."

Yeah, it was a bottle rocket on roids. It's somewhere around here on FR, the video that is, and it's comical.

[getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL]

Just wondering, Leo...what distance are you from the tiny town of Wolica?

[COEXERJ145]

Whatever happened to the Alqaida Navy.

It was a figment in the mind of Joseph Farah.

[familyop]

"It wouldn't take many such vessels and terrorists with state-sponsor support are assessed to have such a capability."

Maloof and his editor missed a comma and an ed in that sentence. They also missed the old news about our Coast Guard, Air Force and Navy.

[cripplecreek]

Many of our locks are already controlled or at least supervised by the Army corps of engineers. I know if you check the Soo Locks website it shows it to be a military page.

[Gritty]

That or go out and try to lease a container ship, and sail toward any port or platform

They don't even need to go to the trouble of that.

At any one time, Al Qaeda (or Iran, or anybody) can easily hijack a ship of any kind and size, kill the crew, and change the appearance/registry so it appears legitimate but is now seemingly legitimate. Or they can buy one which has been hijacked by pirates.

This piracy is happening all the time in the maritime world. It is a genuine, scary jungle out there as no navy has control of the high seas nor are many ships properly tracked. Criminal piracy is rampant. Entire ships, crews and cargo disappear all the time. The cargo is then fenced and the ships are either repainted and reused illegally by pirates or the hostage crews are used - or the ships are sunk without a trace. A lot of these ships are used in the crime sydicate smuggling trade - especially for human smuggling, illicit arms or use as cutouts for carrying stolen cargo.

New owners could use one or more of these ships to load missiles or explosives onto and sail them into or very close to almost any port in the world and use them as offensive weapons.

One doesn't need sophisticated long range missiles tipped with nuclear/radiological/chemical/biological warheads. Short range ones (such as Scuds or Frogs) will do nicely and are cheap and readily available on the black market or from rogue states like Iraq, Iran, Syria and North Korea.

Al Qaeda could have a field day, and maybe is planning one.

[palmer]

Just about any set of locks along the St Lawrence seaway or the Soo Locks could be blocked and shut down simply by sinking a ship in the right place.

For a while, until we cut the sunken ship into pieces and remove them.

[cripplecreek]

For a while, until we cut the sunken ship into pieces and remove them.

True, but it would cost billions in lost revenue. However having it happen in a lock might work to our advantage due to the fact that we could control the water to a large extent.

[getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL]

Disregard that question, Leo. I saw Carpathian and immediately assumed the wrong country. Carry on. :)

[ARealMothersSonForever]

as no navy has control of the high seas nor are many ships properly tracked.

I am compelled to defer to your superior knowledge. There are some here on FR that may have different input.

[B.O. Plenty]

We would hope that there is a group of people in our government (or not in our government) who are quietly going around and taking care of potential "evil doers". This could be one reason that the U.S. has been free from a direct attack since 9-11?

I don't think it would take much to do great damage to the U.S. economy...a relatively small car bomb at NorthPark, or a small IED along side LBJ freeway should get people's attention really quick.

Liberals have evidently decided that we are not going to be attacked again....maybe Murtha, Kennedy, kerry et. al. know something we do not know?.....(naaaaaah...they are just stupid)...

just speculating...

[jdub]

A magazine I subscribe to publishes a list of all reported acts of International Piracy. About half are successful, and almost all of those consist of stealing a ship's money and what supplies they can run off with. Undoubtedly there are vessels that are "vanished", but it appears to happen very infrequently.

[yooper]

"Just about any set of locks along the St Lawrence seaway or the Soo Locks could be blocked and shut down simply by sinking a ship in the right place."

I'm connected here in the Soo. We're on that one, always vigilant, and always respecting our proximity to Dearborn.

The USACOE and the IBA are watching things here; peace out.

God bless MTU.

[yooper]

"Many of our locks are already controlled or at least supervised by the Army corps of engineers. I know if you check the Soo Locks website it shows it to be a military page."

Yes, but it's run by highly competent civilian engineers.

[cripplecreek]

Yes, but it's run by highly competent civilian engineers.

Competence and vigilance is all I ask.

[Nuc1]

"They don't even need a nuclear device.
Just get a ship full of ammonium nitrate, propane, or LNG into a port and blow it up."

Absolutely true. Look what a cargo ship full of ammonium nitrate did to Texas City Texas on April 16, 1947. A properly oxygenated LNG carrier could take out Boston.

[blam]

" This means that nuclear bomb-laden ships now could easily slip into normal merchant shipping channels without examination."

I'm prepared for most emergencies. However, if a nuke goes off in the port of Mobile, my FR posting days are probably over.

[COEXERJ145]

Texas City was the first thing that came to my mind as I wrote that reply. My dad still remembers it even though he was only a little kid. He was living in Houston at the time and he felt the ground shake.

The explosion at Texas City has been estimated to have had a yield of 3-5 kilotons. In other words, it had the force of a lower end, tactical nuclear weapon.

[blam]

The Explosion 50 Years Later - Texas City Remembers

[Gritty]

I am compelled to defer to your superior knowledge

I don't claim to have direct experience in this matter, but I did stay at a Motel 6 last night.

For more in depth information on this subject, see... Dangerous Waters : Modern Piracy and Terror on the High Seas

It is a rather convincing book. The author did a lot of first hand research on this ongoing problem, which could turn into a handy terrorist tool.

[Nuc1]

"The explosion at Texas City has been estimated to have had a yield of 3-5 kilotons. In other words, it had the force of a lower end, tactical nuclear weapon."

After reviewing Blam's link I would concur with the yield assessment. Thanks for the link Blam! Well, in life we all have to take our chances. The sad thing is it could happen any time and there is really little we could do a properly planned attack.

All the more reason to go after them as hard as we can.

[omega4179]

I am not convinced an LNG tanker poses any risk to a city can anyone link me to a threat analysis. when liquid the stuff does not burn, and when leaking only that which has leaked can burn. as far as I know.

[Nuc1]

"when liquid the stuff does not burn, and when leaking only that which has leaked can burn. as far as I know."

What you say is true. What has to happen is to introduce an oxidizer. When dispersed and in the presence of an oxidizer a yield in the range of a small nuc weapon is possible.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Just get a ship full of ammonium nitrate, propane, or LNG into a port and blow it up.

Years ago a ship either loading or unloading fertilizer exploded in Texas City, TX and killed lots of folks for miles.

[Savage Beast]

"In their desire to at least match the destructive effect of those attacks, terrorists will look for another 'creative,' unconventional approach."

And they might succeed. They have powerful allies within the United States, who despise the U.S.A. and will assist her enemies: The Left, its Propaganda Machine (the "Mainstream Newsmedia"), and its Political Machine (the Democrat Party).

America's enemies abroad, including international terrorists, have many powerful allies in America's domestic enemies, the Left, their fifth column.

[Kozak]

Texas City disaster

[The Great RJ]

Our Achilles heel is our infastructure. If our electrical grid can be upset by just a few component failures, what would a coordinated attack do? How about the Internet ...if a teenager can put together a worm that can cause nearly a world wide collapse imagine the havoc of a coordinated attack. We cannot just retreat to Okinawa or as George McGovern said in 1972 "come home America". We will always be vulnerable, but those who would attack us need to know that our wrath soon will follow. Perhaps the video of Zarqawi getting toasted will serve as a reminder for some.

[backhoe]

"Years ago a ship either loading or unloading fertilizer exploded in Texas City, TX and killed lots of folks for miles."

---

That, and more shipborne "mini-nuclear" explosions:

http://www.local1259iaff.org/disaster.html
The Texas City Disaster

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax_Explosion
The Halifax Explosion December 6, 1917

http://www.usmm.org/portchicago.html
Port Chicago Disaster - July 17, 1944

[Marine Inspector]

It's not quite as easy as you make it sound, but yes, it's a definite threat.

[null and void]

Many of our locks are already controlled or at least supervised by the Army corps of engineers. I know if you check the Soo Locks website it shows it to be a military page.

The Panama Canal is controlled by our dear friends the Commie Chinese...

[null and void]

If our electrical grid can be upset by just a few component failures, what would a coordinated attack do?

The grid simiply can't be taken down. Right, underscore?