December 27, 2003
Our Port wide open
Should we just hope that al Qaeda doesn't read the Houston Chronicle? Or is Port of Houston management going to actually correct this?
A drive along the Port of Houston's docks by two Houston Chronicle employees and a security consultant -- despite a heightened national terrorism alert -- brought strong warnings to security guards and law officers from the port police chief."The security people who allowed it to happen were not having a merry Christmas," port spokeswoman Argentina James said Friday.
Russell Whitmarsh, police chief in the nation's second-busiest port, said he has strongly reminded the security staff that only essential personnel are to enter in view of the code orange terrorism alert issued Sunday by federal officials.
Whitmarsh said he met with security supervisors Wednesday to go over "what went wrong, what error was made" in allowing a Chronicle reporter and photographer, along with a security consultant, to drive along the docks earlier in the day.
The three drove past several ships and warehouses, heavy equipment and bridge supports after showing their driver's licenses to security guards.
via the Houston Chronicle
The unauthorized visitors apparently had a leisurely tour on Christmas Eve, courtesy of security guards who failed to take even the most basic precautions.
A Christmas Eve tour of the Port of Houston and the petrochemical industries along the Houston Ship Channel shows that -- despite a recently heightened national security alert -- they lie wide open to even a moderately determined terrorist.A local corporate security consultant, accompanied by a Houston Chronicle reporter and photographer, pointed out numerous vulnerabilities at the sites and suggested ways to fix them. The consultant asked to remain anonymous, fearing that his security criticism could cause some of the corporations to reject his business.
"It's Christmas Eve. Think Dec. 7, 1941," the consultant observed as he and the others in a late-model sport utility vehicle approached the port's main gate, just off the Sidney Sherman Bridge on the East Loop.
Once inside the port, the group was able to move around at will. At the very edge of the wharf, group members could almost reach out and touch any of the dozen or so large ships unloading -- including an auto carrier and a bulk cargo ship.
The group also drove within a few feet of a work crew unloading the cargo ship without being challenged. The visitors cruised a mile of dockside without any business there, but were never stopped or questioned.
The massive supports of the Sidney Sherman Bridge carrying traffic on Loop 610 looked especially vulnerable. A major explosion collapsing the columns could kill hundreds of motorists and disrupt truck access to the port for months.
Unfortunately, especially for those of us who live downwind, the Port of Houston -- filled with ships, terminals, and petrochemicals -- is a huge target waiting for terrorist attention.
The Port of Houston is a 25-mile-long complex of diversified public and private facilities located just a few hours' sailing time from the Gulf of Mexico. The port is ranked first in the United States in foreign waterborne commerce, second in total tonnage, and sixth in the world.Posted by Alan at December 27, 2003 08:07 AMThe Port of Houston is made up of the port authority and the 150-plus private industrial companies along the ship channel.
Approximately 175 million tons of cargo moved through the Port of Houston in 2002. A total of 6,414 vessel calls were recorded at the Port of Houston during the year 2002.