the Port Authority discovered a substance leaking from one of a dozen containers that were off loaded from a ship this morning that appears to be related to the explosive used in the underwear bombing attempt. I’ll post more as soon as I know.
Quote:It's also known as PETN, the substance authorities say was part of a device a Nigerian man tried to use to bring down a Detroit-bound Northwest flight on Christmas Day. PETN is often used in military explosives and found inside blasting caps. It is also the primary ingredient in detonating cords used for industrial explosions.
more
These "little bitty" ports haven't really benefited a heck of a lot from the (very limited) reinforcment policies developed by the HSA, which focused on the "well knowns" such as NoLa, L.A., Miami and NYC thus providing a perfect entry point for potential destructive agentry.
Bravo to the longshoremen/Fire Dept/alert citizenry of Morehead City for making this discovery and acting quickly to minimize the danger.
Terrorist Attack?
Quote:BREAKING NEWS
Carteret - 1/12/2010
The State Port in Morehead City is closed, parts of Highway 70 are shut down, and there's a recommended evacuation of downtown Morehead City, after containers of highly explosive materials were punctured.
We've learned the containers hold PETN and were punctured by a forklift around 4:45 this morning. PETN is used in a variety of high explosives and is most commonly used in commericial blastings and demolitions.
The State Port at Morehead City is closed and Highway 70 from Radio Island to 4th Street is shut down to all traffic at this time.
Police are recommending an evacuation of the downtown area, but add this is not required. Morehead City police officers are also going door to door to relay the alert to folks in the area.
Carteret County Emergency Management has also activated a "Code Red" which means they will automatically call households to advise residents. They are also asking that anyone who decides to stay in the downtown area to stay inside and away from any windows.
We have several crews heading down to the scene. Stay with NewsChannel 12 for the latest.
http://www.wcti12.com/News12.asp#-1536633622
Shouldn't we wait for the investigation of who sent this shipment to whom, before labeling this a "terrorist" plot? Not discounting this as a potential problem (why weren't the containers marked clearly as explosive materials for instance), it was clearly stated that the material is commonly needed for industrial end uses.
A forklift puncturing the container is why these products require special handling and clear marking. I am questing, but thye fork lift operator might have had to go home for an underwear change, once he found out what was in the container he hit.
I do some buisness with the NC Ports. I posted the news as told to me by some one there. I found the linked articles later. There is still no reason to believe that it is not related.
The terrorists have won.
We're terrorized.
Both sides of my family are from Morehead City. I remember my mom telling me about an explosion at the port when she was growing up that shook the town. These kinds of accidents can happen.
Don't know that terrorism is involved. But, it is not exactly encouraging to learn how carelessly PETN is moved around. Apparently it gets no more scrutiny than a bag of flour.