SAN FRANCISCO – It is 3 a.m. and a U.S. Coast Guard Vessel Boarding and Security Team (VBST) is underway conducting a routine security boarding of an inbound container ship, one of the many container ships that proceed in and out of U.S. ports. Prior to the VBST arrival to the pilothouse, the Level 1 Radiation Pagers carried by members of the team detect levels of radiation adjacent to a row of containers onboard the deck of the container ship. The Sector Command Center is immediately notified, Critical Incident Communications commence, and the Captain of the Port has important port safety and security decisions to make, such as where to send the vessel for further investigation and possible removal of a suspect container.

The question becomes, how is the safe removal of a possible dangerous and/or hazardous container, aboard a commercial container ship inbound to a U.S. port, adjacent to populated cities and communities going to be handled?

Since the terrorist events of Sept. 11, the potential smuggling of weapons of mass destruction in intermodal freight containers has been on the forefront of maritime security efforts and is one of our nation’s greatest concerns. From June 6 to June 8, 2005, the Coast Guard Marine Safety Office San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Strike Team (PST) of Novato, Calif., participated in Operation Safe Port.

Operation Safe Port involved Coast Guard, Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD), and other federal state, and local agencies. The three day exercise demonstrated the use of a MARAD Auxiliary Crane Ship (T-ACS) and its capability to safely remove containers suspected or known to contain contraband or weapons of mass destruction (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosive) from a commercial containership while in a safe location, away from heavily populated areas and port complexes.

Specifically, the exercise demonstrated MARAD’s capability to activate Auxiliary Crane Ships and offload containerized cargo from a vessel onto a barge in protected offshore waters, said Paul R. Martin Jr., Marine Safety Office San Francisco Bay’s Port Security Specialist and Exercise Planner for Operation Safe Port.

"We don’t want the ship coming into port, but we want to be able to take the cargo someplace safe to inspect it and get rid of it," he said.

On Wednesday, June 8, the demonstration was carried out in San Francisco Bay at Anchorage 12, a specific anchorage designated for ships transferring dangerous cargo. Personnel from MSO San Francisco Bay, the Pacific Strike Team, MARAD, and other federal, state, and local agencies participated in the event.

The event simulated a real life situation, according to Leonard LaGrappe, MARAD’s Western Region Marine Surveyor, and Exercise Planner and Incident Command System (ICS) Operation Section Chief for Operation Safe Port.

In the simulated scenario, the VBST would have conducted a pre-scheduled boarding on the suspect vessel based on either intelligence, vetting, or as a random boarding, said Lt.j.g. John Bannon, MSO San Francisco Bay’s Container Inspection Branch Chief and the exercise training Planning Section Chief for Operation Safe Port. Upon a VBST radiation hit or evidence of a Homeland Security threat, an immediate notification to the Sector Command Center would be initiated, as well as Critical Incident Communications, and notifications to other resources and agencies, including the FBI, Customs and Border Protection, State Office of Emergency Services, PST, and MARAD. The goal is to keep the vessel offshore or in the safest location away from a busy and heavily populated port complex. Trained professionals, such as the PST, could then further verify and identify the levels of radiation and pinpoint the exact location of the container. Meanwhile, MARAD would activate the use of its crane ship to get underway and moor along side the suspect vessel. Then, MARAD would operate their crane ship to safely move the surrounding containers and remove the suspected container to another vessel or barge for further investigation or final disposition.

The Coast Guard not only provided simulated inspections of the containers during the exercise, but also demonstrated their working knowledge of the Incident Command System (ICS).

MARAD had limited experience using the ICS and looked to the Coast Guard to use, organize and implement a plan of action for the exercise, said Martin.

In 2005, the Department of Homeland Security mandated all federal agencies to fully adopt and implement the National Response Plan (NRP) and the National Incident Management System (NIMS), which mandates the use of ICS. According to the U.S. Coast Guard NIMS and NRP Implementation Plan, NIMS provides a nationwide standard for federal, state, local and tribal governments to work together to prepare for and respond to "Incidents of National Significance." This includes credible threats or acts of terrorism, and major disasters and emergencies.

What makes Operation Safe Port significant is the fact that it addressed a plan of action of what to do if a container ship is identified as a threat while proceeding inbound or already at a facility. It also allowed us to use and practice ICS, and improve our response capabilities in the event of a real scenario, said Bannon.

"The Port of Oakland is the fourth largest container port in the nation," he added. "If we know or suspect that a container with a radiological, high explosive and/or chemical dirty bomb is coming into port, this exercise will have answered the question, "How would we respond?"

MARAD currently has crane ships and other assets in ports throughout the U.S. The use of these crane ships will hopefully be implemented within the next year or so, said LaGrappe. Once approved, these crane ships could be activated to respond in case of an emergency, he added.

MARAD handles Department of Defense hazardous cargo routinely, including military explosives. MARAD is very familiar with the transfer of containers and other cargo in difficult environments, said Bannon.

"The benefit is that Operation Safe Port demonstrates another capability that MARAD provides the Coast Guard Captain of the Port in safeguarding our ports from potential or known terrorist threats," said Bannon.

Operation Safe Port proved to be an important training opportunity for combating terrorism. It demonstrated that the use of MARAD’s crane ships could be valuable and instrumental in the timely and safe removal of contraband and weapons of mass destruction.

"It was for us an opportunity to exercise another tool in our tool chest to help keep our ports safe," said Martin.