Coast Guard tipping ships about searches: NYT

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Coast Guard tipping ships about searches: NYT
Sat May 20, 2006 12:41am ET


NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Coast Guard has been tipping off some large commercial ships about security searches that had formerly been conducted without warning, The New York Times reported on Saturday.

Citing high-ranking Coast Guard officials, the Times said that intense pressure from shipping companies concerned about the cost of delays had led commanders in some ports to provide up to 24 hours notice of searches, which began after the 9/11 attacks as part of the service's new anti-terrorism mission.

"We're trying to facilitate commerce and keep the port secure" and sometimes the two conflict," the Times quoted Capt. Paul Wiedenhoeft, who is in charge of the port complex at Los Angeles and Long Beach as saying. "When possible, we're trying to give shippers as much notice as we can," he told the paper.

The result has been considerable confusion and debate within the Coast Guard, the Times said, with commanders in some ports acknowledging that they provided up to 24 hours notice while others said the practice undermined the inspections. And there was even disagreement about the best approach within the command at some ports, it said.

For example, the port captain in San Francisco, Capt. William Uberti, said shippers and carriers were "not supposed to have a clue" about possible random boardings, but his security chief said the command gave companies notice, the Times reported.


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http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-05-20T044144Z_01_N20301942_RTRUKOC_0_US-TRANSPORT-COASTGUARD.xml