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US moves to torpedo rogue boats
As boating season approaches, the Bush administration wants to enlist America's 80 million recreational boaters to help reduce the chances that a small boat could deliver a nuclear or radiological bomb somewhere along the 153,000 kilometres of US coastline and inland waterways.
- AP
- Published: 23:59 April 28, 2008
Washington: As boating season approaches, the Bush administration wants to enlist America's 80 million recreational boaters to help reduce the chances that a small boat could deliver a nuclear or radiological bomb somewhere along the 153,000 kilometres of US coastline and inland waterways.
According to an April 23 intelligence assessment, "The use of a small boat as a weapon is likely to remain Al Qaida's weapon of choice in the maritime environment, given its ease in arming and deploying, low cost, and record of success."
While the United States has so far been spared this type of strike in its own waters, terrorists have used small boats to mount attacks in other countries.
Unregulated traffic
The millions of humble dinghies, fishing boats and smaller cargo ships that ply America's waterways are not nationally regulated as they buzz around ports, oil tankers, power plants and other potential terrorist targets.
This could allow terrorists in small boats to carry out an attack similar to the USS Cole bombing, says Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen. That 2000 attack killed 17 American sailors in Yemen when terrorists rammed a dinghy packed with explosives into the destroyer.
"There is no intelligence right now that there's a credible risk" of this type of attack, Allen says. "But the vulnerability is there." To reduce the potential for such an attack in the United States, the Department of Homeland Security has developed a new strategy intended to increase security by enhancing safety standards. The Coast Guard is part of the department.
Officials were yesterday to announce a plan calling on states to develop and enforce safety standards for recreational boaters and urging them to look for and report suspicious behaviour on the water - much like a neighbourhood watch programme. The government will also look to develop technology that will help detect dangerous materials and other potential warning signs.
The United States has spent billions of dollars constructing elaborate defences against the monster cargo ships that could be used by terrorists, including strict regulations for containers and shipping.
"When that oil tanker is coming from the Middle East, we know everything about it before it gets here," said John Fetterman, deputy chief of Maine's marine patrol. But when it comes to small boats, he said, "nobody knows a lot about them."
Initially the government considered creating a federal licence for recreational boat operators, but that informal proposal was immediately shot down by boating organisations. Coast Guard and homeland security officials have toured the country in the past year to sound out the boating industry and its enthusiasts. While the government insists there will be no federal licence, the strategy suggests that the government consider registering and regulating recreational boats.
There are about 18 million small boats in the country, contributing to a $39.5 billion industry (Dh145 billion), according to a 2006 estimate from the National Marine Manufacturers Association.
The only way to police the waterfront, says maritime security expert Stephen Flynn, "is to get as many of the participants who are part of that community to be essentially on your side".
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