gcarter
01-11-2009, 07:05 AM
Federal program enlists help from civilian boaters
By CINDY GEORGE Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
Jan. 10, 2009, 11:31PM
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WATERWAY WATCH
The national program asks people who work, live or play on or near the water to watch for behavior that might indicate a homeland security threat. The last four years have brought more than 3,500 such reports. • 2005: 901
• 2006: 788
• 2007: 1,032
• 2008: 946
Report suspicious waterway activities at 877-24WATCH (877-249-2824). For more information, visit americas
waterwaywatch.org (http://waterwaywatch.org/) online.
Sources: U.S. Coast Guard,
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
If he ever sees suspicious activity among Clear Lake boaters that might prove dangerous, marina operator Garson Silvers vows to call authorities.
On Saturday, he was asked to dial a dedicated toll-free number that would connect his report to the U.S. Coast Guard and officials at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Federal authorities told Silvers and more than 100 merchant mariners, boating industry professionals and recreational boaters that their eyes and ears are needed to help sort out and report what's normal on the water and what's not.
Houston was the latest stop of a roving regional summit to educate and appeal to small boaters for ideas and assistance to protect the nation's waters from terrorist attacks.
The Gulf Coast Small Vessel Security Summit offered an opportunity to tout the America's Waterway Watch program, a sort of maritime community watch. Houston was chosen because of the area's 80,000-plus recreational boaters and its major port.
"The potential for (small boats) to be misused by somebody who wanted to is fairly great," said Rear Adm. John Whitehead, who oversees Coast Guard operations along the Mississippi River and the Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle to Mexico. "We have lots of restrictions on larger vessels. We don't on these."
Small vessels include recreational boats, commercial fishing boats, tow boats and ferries less than 300 gross tons. International standards apply to larger boats, which are required to carry electronic tracking devices allowing the Coast Guard to review information about the boat, crew and cargo while the vessel is miles offshore.
Maritime security tightened after Sept. 11, 2001. The potential of minor vessels to cause major damage was demonstrated a year earlier by the deadly attack on the USS Cole, which blew up in a Yemen port after an explosives-laden small boat masquerading as a supply vessel pulled alongside. November's attacks in Mumbai began with the hijacking of a small boat, allowing militants to sail into the harbor undetected.
"What we're trying to do is avoid the potential of that in the United States," Whitehead said.
The admiral said he's not aware of any recent reports that have become security incidents in the Houston area, but added that information is "consistently" being passed to security analysts. It's conceivable, he said, that a small boat somewhere in the waters off Houston could smuggle weapons or terrorists, become a floating explosive or serve as a platform for an attack.
"If you're a recreational boater or just walking along the waterway and you see something odd that you think is suspicious, you can call a toll-free number and it'll get reported," he said. "If it seems credible, we'll report it back to the local police, the local FBI and the local Coast Guard and maybe send a boat out to take a look and see what it is."
The Waterway Watch program has logged more than 3,500 reports nationwide in the last four years. Eagle-eyed folks have spotted everything from a stolen ship off Puget Sound to an alleged terrorist.
The program urges boaters and others who use waterways to look out for people engaged in any kind of surveillance, those showing uncommon interest in security measures and people or vessels that appear out of place or in sensitive locations.
Saturday's crowd included a fishing club president and boat captains, as well as safety officials for commercial boating companies, the state and the Houston Police Department.
Rick Morris, who oversees safety and security for the Galveston-Port Bolivar ferries, said regular citizens often overlook their role in national security and downplay the risk of an attack.
"There's a lot of — unfortunately — ignorance about security," Morris said. "If our vessels were used to transport a bomb or something like that toward the channel, or to take down a tanker — and there are a lot of scenarios — most people wouldn't think of that."
cindy.george@chron.com (cindy.george@chron.com)
By CINDY GEORGE Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
Jan. 10, 2009, 11:31PM
http://imagec11.247realmedia.com/RealMedia/ads/Creatives/default/empty.gif (http://oascentral.chron.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/chron.com/news/houston/story/419827537/Position3/default/empty.gif/54415356466b676b617741414136476e?x)
WATERWAY WATCH
The national program asks people who work, live or play on or near the water to watch for behavior that might indicate a homeland security threat. The last four years have brought more than 3,500 such reports. • 2005: 901
• 2006: 788
• 2007: 1,032
• 2008: 946
Report suspicious waterway activities at 877-24WATCH (877-249-2824). For more information, visit americas
waterwaywatch.org (http://waterwaywatch.org/) online.
Sources: U.S. Coast Guard,
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
If he ever sees suspicious activity among Clear Lake boaters that might prove dangerous, marina operator Garson Silvers vows to call authorities.
On Saturday, he was asked to dial a dedicated toll-free number that would connect his report to the U.S. Coast Guard and officials at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Federal authorities told Silvers and more than 100 merchant mariners, boating industry professionals and recreational boaters that their eyes and ears are needed to help sort out and report what's normal on the water and what's not.
Houston was the latest stop of a roving regional summit to educate and appeal to small boaters for ideas and assistance to protect the nation's waters from terrorist attacks.
The Gulf Coast Small Vessel Security Summit offered an opportunity to tout the America's Waterway Watch program, a sort of maritime community watch. Houston was chosen because of the area's 80,000-plus recreational boaters and its major port.
"The potential for (small boats) to be misused by somebody who wanted to is fairly great," said Rear Adm. John Whitehead, who oversees Coast Guard operations along the Mississippi River and the Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle to Mexico. "We have lots of restrictions on larger vessels. We don't on these."
Small vessels include recreational boats, commercial fishing boats, tow boats and ferries less than 300 gross tons. International standards apply to larger boats, which are required to carry electronic tracking devices allowing the Coast Guard to review information about the boat, crew and cargo while the vessel is miles offshore.
Maritime security tightened after Sept. 11, 2001. The potential of minor vessels to cause major damage was demonstrated a year earlier by the deadly attack on the USS Cole, which blew up in a Yemen port after an explosives-laden small boat masquerading as a supply vessel pulled alongside. November's attacks in Mumbai began with the hijacking of a small boat, allowing militants to sail into the harbor undetected.
"What we're trying to do is avoid the potential of that in the United States," Whitehead said.
The admiral said he's not aware of any recent reports that have become security incidents in the Houston area, but added that information is "consistently" being passed to security analysts. It's conceivable, he said, that a small boat somewhere in the waters off Houston could smuggle weapons or terrorists, become a floating explosive or serve as a platform for an attack.
"If you're a recreational boater or just walking along the waterway and you see something odd that you think is suspicious, you can call a toll-free number and it'll get reported," he said. "If it seems credible, we'll report it back to the local police, the local FBI and the local Coast Guard and maybe send a boat out to take a look and see what it is."
The Waterway Watch program has logged more than 3,500 reports nationwide in the last four years. Eagle-eyed folks have spotted everything from a stolen ship off Puget Sound to an alleged terrorist.
The program urges boaters and others who use waterways to look out for people engaged in any kind of surveillance, those showing uncommon interest in security measures and people or vessels that appear out of place or in sensitive locations.
Saturday's crowd included a fishing club president and boat captains, as well as safety officials for commercial boating companies, the state and the Houston Police Department.
Rick Morris, who oversees safety and security for the Galveston-Port Bolivar ferries, said regular citizens often overlook their role in national security and downplay the risk of an attack.
"There's a lot of — unfortunately — ignorance about security," Morris said. "If our vessels were used to transport a bomb or something like that toward the channel, or to take down a tanker — and there are a lot of scenarios — most people wouldn't think of that."
cindy.george@chron.com (cindy.george@chron.com)