Foreign Sourced Raw Materials

There is an interesting article from the Boston Globe on Globe.com about the impending shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Yemen to a facility in Massachusetts. Many people in Boston are concerned that the tanker will have to move through Boston Harbor as it makes it way to the Distrigas LNG facility in Everett, MA. A catastrophic release (like ones that terrorist might want to cause) could cause significant damage in and around the harbor. The fact that the tanker is coming from Yemen (of recent underwear bomber fame) is one of the major reasons for the level of concern. The fact that the tanker will be loaded at a French owned facility with ‘European Security’ should help to reduce some of the concerns about the emplacement of a remote controlled explosive device on the tanker. Many Bostonians are apparently not satisfied with that explanation. This concern in Boston is certainly not misplaced. Any shipment of hazardous materials from areas where there are questions about the government’s ability to control the routine movement and operations of terrorist or criminal organizations should be automatically suspected as a potential mode of terrorist attack. While criminal organizations are not that likely to initiate terrorist attacks, it is not beyond possible for them to sell access to shipments to terrorist organizations. Now, I don’t know of many chemicals being shipped from Yemen or Afghanistan to facilities in the United States, but those aren’t the only questionable areas in the world. One country in particular on our southern border might be a special problem. With the multiple modes of cross-border chemical shipment between Mexico and the United States and the presence of large stretches of narco-gang controlled areas in Northern Mexico, facilities might want to take extra security precautions for chemical shipments from that country. Of course all shipments into high-risk chemical facilities are expected to be searched before they are allowed to enter the facility. Special attention, however, should be paid to vehicles that were loaded in Mexico, or containers that came from other suspect areas around the world. I have an interesting problem for you, the interested reader. If an explosive device were placed inside a full tank truck or a large bulk container how would an inspection process detect it? For a flammable liquid this would probably be the most efficient method of turning it into an IED. The over-pressure from the device would cause a catastrophic failure of the tank and would likely ignite the liquid. Such a device could be placed in an empty tank before it is delivered to a chemical facility to be loaded. Pre-loading inspections should catch such a device, but these are frequently just cursory inspections, especially if they are dedicated, ship and return containers.