SafetyIssues Personal and Public Safety News Articles: Small Boats Safety Stressed

Small Boats Safety Stressed
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Staff writer for safetyissues.com on 04/28/08 05:15:00
 
Small boats have been used to attack certain targets in other countries, but so
far not in the U.S. That could change. Small boats can be armed quickly and
deployed easily at low cost.
The U.S. has 18 million small boats, and thousands of fishing boats and small
cargo ships. They are not federally regulated or restricted from passing close
to ports, power plants, oil tankers, and other facilities which terrorists might
single out as potential targets.
The country has constructed sophisticated defenses, at a cost of billions of
dollars, to guard against the huge cargo ships terrorists could use for attacks.
But nothing has been done on small boats, which refer to vessels less than 300
tons according to government’s definition.
Department of Homeland Security officials don’t believe small boats are a top
security threat, but they would like this aspect to be fully covered. A state
marine patrol chief has said they regularly receive reports of unknown persons
in small boats taking pictures or measurements of infrastructure like dams and
bridges.
But there is not enough manpower to chase down every report. The only way to
help police the waterways, says maritime security analysts, is to get boating
communities to cooperate with law enforcement agencies. Boaters who are
regularly on the water know when some unknown boat appears out of place near
critical infrastructure.
The government has decided it will not require a federal license for small
boats, but may require registrations and impose some regulations on recreational
boats. Other aspects of the government strategy include:
* Homeland Security is piloting two programs in Puget Sound and San Diego to
train and equip harbor patrol units with radiological and nuclear detection
devices.
* The U.S. Coast Guard and state agencies will set minimum safety standards and
establish procedures for rules enforcement. This may include the requirement for
boat operators to keep on board a copy of the safety certification and to have
appropriate identification that proves their link to the safety certificate.
The added safety requirements may bring other benefits such as keeping boats in
good condition and having more safety equipment aboard. They might also reduce
the number of people operating boats while drunk.
Safety Tip:
* Report unusual activity around critical infrastructure. Authorities will
appreciate assistance from the boating community to watch out for strangers who
look out of place near these installations. They need to be proactive; they
can’t afford to be managing consequences.