Liberian Ship Held 6 Miles off Coast of Manhattan

kyw news 3, Philadelphia | 9-11-02

[dommie]

This just in... U.S. Coast Guard is holding a Liberian ship off the coast of Manhattan. They are reporting radioactivity on board the vessel. More on this when it breaks.

http://terrornews.net/home/article.asp?idx=554

[LurkedLongEnough]

More on this when it breaks.

Let's hope that it just doesn't break, ok?

[Mo1]

kyw news 3, Philadelphia ???


You from are the area Philly area???

[ShadowAce]

You from are the area Philly area???

huh?

[dommie]

yes i'm from the philly area.

[John H K]

Better described as "Liberian-Registered" probably.

This ship has almost certainly never docked or even gone near Liberia in its entire life, and likely not a single Liberian has stepped aboard ir at any time.

It's a "Flag of Convenience"...Liberia (along with Panama, and a few other countries...have low or non-existent ship registration fees.

[RCW2001]

Coast Guard flags
'radioactive' ship

The Coast Guard escorted a cargo ship back out to sea from Port Newark last night after an inspection turned up mysterious radiation readings, Port Authority police said.

Authorities said the Liberian-flagged 708-foot container vessel M/V Palermo Senator was guided beyond the 12-mile limit where the inspection continued.

The ship was moved because "fluctuating levels of radioactivity of unknown origin" were discovered on it, a Port Authority spokesman said.

The readings were discovered after the Coast Guard, which routinely checks out "high-interest vessels," intercepted the ship earlier in the day and brought it to Port Newark for a joint inspection with the U.S. Customs Service and Port Authority. Authorities would not disclose the ship's cargo or the nationality of its crew.

Leo Standora

[SunnyUsa]

"Let's hope that it just doesn't break, ok?

ROFL!!! Imagine how made the peta-enviro-nazis would be if it did.....

[RCW2001]

The link for Coast Guard flags 'radioactive' ship

[Nexus]

Ship ordered back to sea while feds examine cargo for radioactivity

The Associated Press
9/11/02 5:29 AM


NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- A ship detained by federal and local authorities after traces of radioactivity were detected in its cargo has been temporarily ordered back to sea.

The U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday that the Liberian-flagged container ship, the M/V Palermo Senator, had been ordered to stay in a security zone set up six miles offshore while the inspection continues.

The ship had been directed to Berth 92 at the Port Newark/Elizabeth Marine Terminal after a Coast Guard team boarded the vessel around 2 a.m. Tuesday. Team members then heard suspicious sounds in several of the ship's cargo holds, but they could not determine their source.

Concerned about a possible stowaway situation, guard officials decided to conduct a thorough pierside search. While no evidence of stowaways was found, they determined that the ship's cargo posed a potential risk to public safety.

Reporters were barred access to the berth area while the search was going on and officials would not provide any details about the cargo, saying only that guard members would stay on the ship until the probe is completed.

Capt. Craig Bone, the guard's top official at the port, said in a prepared statement that the boat will remain offshore "until the condition of its cargo can be ascertained and safely offloaded."

There have been no threats articulated against the ship, and the inspection is consistent with inspections of other high-interest vessels, the Coast Guard said. The U.S. Customs Service also was assisting with the investigation.

[KSCITYBOY]

This is good news - They are able to detect these things. Since 9-11 I have been concerned about a ship containing a nuke or nuke material entering a US port. Good work by our folks.

[Mo1]

Ok .. you have mail ..

Sorry for intruding on your thread .. I just have a question :^)

[PJeffQ]

From http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/homefront.html

Traces of Radioactivity Prompt Ship Search

N E W A R K, N.J., Sept. 11 — A ship detained after traces of radioactivity were detected in its cargo was temporarily ordered back to sea, the U.S. Coast Guard said today.

The Liberian-flagged container ship, the M/V Palermo Senator, was ordered to stay in a security zone six miles offshore while the inspection continues.

The ship was directed to Berth 92 at the Port Newark/Elizabeth Marine Terminal after a Coast Guard team boarded the vessel Tuesday. Team members heard suspicious sounds in several of the ship's cargo holds, but they could not determine their source.

While no evidence of stowaways was found, they determined that the ship's cargo posed a potential risk to public safety.

Officials would not provide any details about the cargo.

Capt. Craig Bone, the Coast Guard's top official at the port, said in a statement that the boat will remain offshore "until the condition of its cargo can be ascertained and safely offloaded."

— The Associated Press

[Poohbah]

They also have less onerous shipboard regulations than we do.

Gee, ya think we might get more US-registered ships if we eased up on our excesses?

[all4one]

"The ship was directed to Berth 92 at the Port Newark/Elizabeth Marine Terminal after a Coast Guard team boarded the vessel Tuesday."

Why would a ship that has not been totally cleared of suspicion, be brought to our shores to berth at a Marine Terminal? Wouldn't it be a safe bet to bring additional inspectors off-shore to inspect the ship more thoroughly? If there were a nuclear device it would detonate in a populated coastal area. I can see that Homeland Security has not done a thorough review of proceedures that would help protect U.S. citizens.

[Poohbah]

A nuke manufactured by the Russians or China, and for that matter, all of the countries that are known to possess them are unlikely to be so radioactive as to be detected from outside of a ship or a container on the ship. I do think however, that a crudely built nuke could be really hot, but even that could be shielded using lots of lead and concrete if DU is not available.

You presume that the device was competently handled in transit--some of the Islamakazis may not understand the idea that nukes might not appreciated being handled in the same manner as your luggage at Denver International...

[Magnum44]

Note te ship name listed below in this excerpt from the web...You too can cruise on a potential terrorist nuclear threat.

This page was prepared by, and appears through the courtesy of, our office in London, England

The Cruise People, Ltd.

Canada's Premier Sea Travel Agency

Fred Cherney, M.C.C.

Passenger Freighter Specialist

---

     Round the World & Extended Voyages  

Voyages of eight weeks (56 days) or more by modern cargo ships. Part voyages, one-way voyages and round trips with layover are possible on any of these routes. Please enquire.

1.  Full Round the World Service

---

Senator Line - Orient Express

2.2. US East Coast / Med / Far East / Med / USA (91 days)

m/v CALIFORNIA SENATOR, m/v HONG KONG SENATOR, m/v IBN SINA, m/v LONDON SENATOR, m/v WASHINGTON SENATOR (1 Owners, 2 Doubles and 2 Single cabins, swimming pool, maximum 8 passengers); m/v PACIFIC SENATOR, m/v PALERMO SENATOR, mv PATMOS SENATOR, SHANGHAI SENATOR (2 Double cabins, swimming pool, maximum 4 passengers); m/v IBN ZAIDOUN (swimming pool, 6 passengers) - all about 40,000 dwt tons

Route: New York - Norfolk - Savannah - Valencia - La Spezia - Gioia Tauro - Suez - Jeddah - Khor Fakkan - Singapore - Busan - Kaohsiung - Hong Kong - Singapore - Suez - Gioia Tauro - La Spezia - Fos sur Mer - Valencia - New York.  Note:  One must book in advance in order to obtain summer space on this route!!

---

[EternalHope]

Neutrons emissions are very difficult to shield. All nukes emit a small amount of neutrons, but very few other things do.

Apparently we have been able to build detectors capable of detecting neutrons specifically, instead of just radiation in general.

The effective range of these detectors is classified. All we know is that it is very limited (a few hundred feet if we are very lucky).

[Semper Paratus]

It may be the radioactivity picked up was left over from a previous shipment.
I'm sure the shipping logs will be checked over.

[LonePalm]

*Ping*

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

[Lee Heggy]

I would imagine that the possibility of an explosive device packed with radioactive material to product a 'dirty bomb is more likely than a conventional nuke.

[gridlock]

The ship probably never went to "the coast of Manhattan" either. If she being held beyond the 12-mile limit off Sandy Hook, she's gotta be 25 miles from Manhattan.

[Mitchell]

According to this link, the Palermo Senator is a freighter which has can accomodate four passengers (in two cabins). The ship was built in Germany, and has "German lead officers, Filipino, Kiribati and East Baltic crew."

Here's a map of the itinerary of the Palermo Senator and its sister ships (the group is called the "Orient Express"). Note the stops in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, China, Malaysia, Singapore, as well as ports in Europe, the U.S., and South Korea.

[Mitchell]

"...which has can accomodate..." should have been "...which can accommodate...".

[steveegg]

Paging El Diablo D'Ashole. Paging Little Dick Gimphardt. Paging Ron Paul. Y'all may be interested in this little tidbit.

[Mitchell]

Before it disappears from the web, I thought I would document the itinerary of the Palermo Senator's current trip, obtained from the Senator Lines schedule web page.

Note that it appears to be running a day late. (Arrival in New York was scheduled for Sept. 10, 2002, 4:18 a.m. I don't know if the trip just took a day longer than expected, or if the Coast Guard stopped the ship yesterday.)

Current/Nearest Status : PALERMO SENATOR 0948

Port	Arrival time	Berthing Time	Cut-Off Time	Departure Time
NEW YORK,NY	10SEP02 04:18	10SEP02 08:00	09SEP02 19:00	11SEP02 22:00

Full Schedule

Port	Arrival time	Berthing Time	Cut-Off Time	Departure Time
PUSAN	29JUL02 23:00	30JUL02 05:00	29JUL02 04:00	31JUL02 04:00
SHANGHAI	01AUG02 09:00	01AUG02 16:54	31JUL02 09:00	02AUG02 15:30
HONG KONG	04AUG02 22:00	04AUG02 23:00	03AUG02 18:00	06AUG02 01:00
SINGAPORE	09AUG02 13:00	09AUG02 14:15	08AUG02 09:00	10AUG02 03:45
PORT KLANG	10AUG02 15:30	10AUG02 17:18	09AUG02 20:00	11AUG02 05:15
SUEZ (EL SUWEIS)	22AUG02 02:40	22AUG02 10:05	21AUG02 13:00	22AUG02 20:05
GIOIA TAURO	25AUG02 01:12	25AUG02 02:24	24AUG02 13:00	25AUG02 18:50
LA SPEZIA	26AUG02 23:18	27AUG02 00:35	26AUG02 19:00	28AUG02 09:36
FOS SUR MER	29AUG02 05:30	29AUG02 04:00	29AUG02 01:00	29AUG02 20:00
VALENCIA	31AUG02 05:48	31AUG02 06:30	30AUG02 20:00	01SEP02 04:30
NEW YORK,NY	10SEP02 04:18	10SEP02 08:00	09SEP02 19:00	11SEP02 22:00
NORFOLK,VA	12SEP02 15:00	12SEP02 18:00	11SEP02 20:00	13SEP02 08:00
SAVANNAH,GA	14SEP02 15:00	14SEP02 18:00	14SEP02 01:00	15SEP02 06:00
VALENCIA	25SEP02 19:00	25SEP02 20:00	25SEP02 08:00	27SEP02 02:00
LA SPEZIA	28SEP02 12:00	28SEP02 13:00	28SEP02 01:00	29SEP02 19:00
GIOIA TAURO	01OCT02 02:00	01OCT02 04:00	30SEP02 16:00	02OCT02 01:00
SUEZ (EL SUWEIS)	04OCT02 19:00	04OCT02 19:00	04OCT02 07:00	05OCT02 18:00
JEDDAH	07OCT02 04:00	07OCT02 06:00	06OCT02 18:00	08OCT02 08:00
KHOR FAKKAN	13OCT02 06:00	13OCT02 07:00	12OCT02 19:00	14OCT02 05:00
SINGAPORE	22OCT02 05:00	22OCT02 06:00	21OCT02 18:00	22OCT02 19:00
PUSAN	28OCT02 15:00	28OCT02 16:00	28OCT02 04:00	29OCT02 12:00
SHANGHAI	30OCT02 17:00	30OCT02 21:00	30OCT02 09:00	01NOV02 00:00
HONG KONG	03NOV02 05:00	03NOV02 06:00	02NOV02 18:00	04NOV02 10:00

  

[Willie Green]

The readings were discovered after the Coast Guard, which routinely checks out "high-interest vessels," intercepted the ship earlier in the day and brought it to Port Newark for a joint inspection

Clearly an example of "nautical profiling".
The ACLU is gonna go bonkers over this.

[Mitchell]

Here's the schedule of the Palermo Senator's previous trip, which shows when it was last in Jeddah, for instance:

Full Schedule : PALERMO SENATOR 0947

Port	Arrival time	Berthing Time	Cut-Off Time	Departure Time
PUSAN	29APR02 12:00	29APR02 12:45		30APR02 09:00
SHANGHAI	01MAY02 23:18	02MAY02 06:12		02MAY02 22:30
HONG KONG	05MAY02 14:00	05MAY02 14:36		06MAY02 16:15
SINGAPORE	09MAY02 22:00	09MAY02 23:00		10MAY02 15:55
PORT KLANG	11MAY02 04:54	11MAY02 06:18		11MAY02 16:30
SUEZ (EL SUWEIS)	22MAY02 20:12	23MAY02 09:45	22MAY02 13:00	23MAY02 19:50
GIOIA TAURO	25MAY02 23:24	26MAY02 00:42	25MAY02 13:00	26MAY02 15:50
LA SPEZIA	27MAY02 19:06	28MAY02 00:42	27MAY02 19:00	30MAY02 04:00
FOS SUR MER	30MAY02 17:42	30MAY02 18:54	30MAY02 01:00	31MAY02 04:20
VALENCIA	01JUN02 01:30	01JUN02 11:30	31MAY02 20:00	02JUN02 12:15
NEW YORK,NY	11JUN02 04:06	11JUN02 07:18	10JUN02 19:00	12JUN02 11:07
NORFOLK,VA	13JUN02 03:48	13JUN02 06:30	12JUN02 20:00	14JUN02 03:10
SAVANNAH,GA	15JUN02 09:00	15JUN02 13:18	15JUN02 01:00	16JUN02 01:10
VALENCIA	26JUN02 10:00	27JUN02 00:12	26JUN02 08:00	28JUN02 04:00
LA SPEZIA	29JUN02 13:12	01JUL02 21:12	29JUN02 01:00	03JUL02 06:54
GIOIA TAURO	04JUL02 07:43	04JUL02 09:42	01JUL02 16:00	05JUL02 03:20
SUEZ (EL SUWEIS)	07JUL02 19:00	07JUL02 19:00	05JUL02 07:00	08JUL02 18:00
JEDDAH	10JUL02 03:00	10JUL02 03:48	07JUL02 18:00	10JUL02 19:00
KHOR FAKKAN	15JUL02 12:00	15JUL02 12:54	13JUL02 19:00	16JUL02 04:15
SINGAPORE	23JUL02 20:10	23JUL02 21:10	22JUL02 18:00	24JUL02 12:25
PUSAN	29JUL02 23:00	30JUL02 05:00	29JUL02 04:00	31JUL02 04:00
SHANGHAI	01AUG02 09:00	01AUG02 16:54	31JUL02 09:00	02AUG02 15:30
HONG KONG	04AUG02 22:00	04AUG02 23:00	03AUG02 18:00	06AUG02 01:00

  

[Mitchell]

Could the delivery of radioactive cargo to this ship have accounted for the al-Qaeda "chatter" we kept hearing about around July 4?

Note that the last time the Palermo Senator was in the Middle East (Suez, Jeddah, and Khor Fakkan) was July 7-July 16, 2002. I presume that the listed "cut-off time" is the time by which containers must be available to be loaded (or perhaps the time by which a spot must be reserved and paid for); it is typically 2-3 days before arrival.

[jerod]

Is Jimmy Hoffa on board?

[Scuttlebutt]

I didn’t know y’all had your own Navy.

(Opps, never mind…I just realized the thread title was about Liberian ships…not libertarian ships)

[Lion's Cub]

FYI

Thanks for all your work on this, Mitchell. Very interesting itinerary indeed.

[Lion's Cub]

Interesting itinerary

[Mitchell]

One correction: The Palermo Senator was last at Suez on Aug. 22, on its current trip (I'd missed that line). But it was last in Jeddah and Khor Fakkan in early July, on its previous trip.

[finnman69]

Ship With Radiation in Cargo Hold Ordered Back Out to Sea
Wednesday, September 11, 2002

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,62754,00.html

NEWARK, N.J. — A ship detained after traces of radioactivity were detected in its cargo was temporarily ordered back to sea, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.

The Liberian-flagged container ship, the M/V Palermo Senator, was ordered to stay in a security zone six miles offshore while the inspection continues.

The ship was directed to Berth 92 at the Port Newark/Elizabeth Marine Terminal after a Coast Guard team boarded the vessel Tuesday. Team members heard suspicious sounds in several of the ship's cargo holds, but they could not determine their source.

While no evidence of stowaways was found, they determined that the ship's cargo posed a potential risk to public safety.

Officials would not provide any details about the cargo.

Capt. Craig Bone, the Coast Guard's top official at the port, said in a statement that the boat will remain offshore "until the condition of its cargo can be ascertained and safely offloaded."

[Lion's Cub]

OMG- Look at Norfolk right underneath NY in your #27! Atta was here trying to come with a plan to get at our carriers.

BTW, how do we know they didn't offload whatever they brought in some where a few miles offshore in the open sea? If so, they could be taking it anywhere along the East Coast.

[keri]

Thanks for the ping, and the posts, Mitchell. Really good work.

[TBall]

Do you know if any of the TV networks are reporting this story?

[B-Cause]

Bump

Thanks Mitchell

It is certainly possible that it could have made an unscheduled stop in Karachi, or at Jeddah on this run.

Do you agree?

[Lion's Cub]

See my #37

[Mudboy Slim]

"NORFOLK,VA 12SEP02 15:00"

Wow...that could have been serious!! I wonder if they offloaded anyone before the Coast Guard got them...scary times, indeed!!

FReegards...MUD

[Mudboy Slim]

"Good work by our folks."

Yep...MUD

[Mitchell]

Yes, check out this link on Atta casing the Norfolk naval base. Here's an excerpt:

HIJACKER EYED U.S. NAVY BASE

New York Post

Oct. 22, 2001 -- Lead suicide hijacker Mohamed Atta visited a Virginia naval base at least twice this year, perhaps thinking of making an aircraft carrier one of his terror targets, it was reported today.
Atta made the trips to Norfolk in February and April, according to Newsweek.
Federal sources told the magazine that investigators believe Atta may have considered flying a commercial jet into an aircraft carrier during his day of terror Sept. 11.

...

[Lion's Cub]

That's my concern. That they are finding traces because the devide was offloaded to a small ship or boat. They want at our bases really bad. They'd be happy just hitting the port if they couldn't get it near a carrier.

Of course, they could be taking it to the Potomac, too.

[Mudboy Slim]

"...ya think we might get more US-registered ships if we eased up on our excesses?"

Speaking of that, ya think we might get more US-registered [businesses] if we eased up on our excesses?

FReegards...MUD

[Mudboy Slim]

"...a crudely built nuke could be really hot, but even that could be shielded using lots of lead and concrete if DU is not available."

Do ya ever get the impression that the Terrorists ain't the sharpest knives in the drawer?!

FReegards...MUD

[Mitchell]

It is certainly possible that it could have made an unscheduled stop in Karachi, or at Jeddah on this run.

I don't know, but it seems doubtful to me that they made an unscheduled stop. The ship does carry passengers, and it does have a schedule to keep. (It's true that they are a day late, though.)

But they could easily have picked up a container at Jeddah (or in the UAE) on the last leg of the previous trip out and simply kept it on board all the way back. Or it could have been loaded somewhere else, perhaps Southeast Asia or Suez.

[Cultural Jihad]

http://www.cruise2.com/ships/showship.phtml?function=ship&ship=Palermo+Senator&line=F.+Laeisz

[Mudboy Slim]

"...investigators believe Atta may have considered flying a commercial jet into an aircraft carrier during his day of terror Sept. 11."

Sure wouldda done a lot more damage than the Pentagon kamikaze run...however, I reckon they weren't looking to nail something that can actually fight back.

FReegards...MUD