The safety of the recreational boater hasn't been compromised
in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks aimed at New York City and Washington, DC. Americans have been
asked to carry on, enjoy their leisure time, and not let terrorists or terrorism alter the way in which we live
our lives.
By just being on our waterways, you become an integral part of Homeland Security. When you are out on our
nation's waterways, you can see, you can hear, and you can report things that may seem suspicious to you.
This kind of citizen vigilance makes it extremely difficult for terrorists for succeed.
These are times when we must be more cautious and aware of our surroundings. The recent acts of terrorism in Mumbai, which originated in a landing from the sea, has heightened the need for awareness. The following Press Release dated December 4, 2008, discusses this need:
PRESS RELEASE
Date: December 4, 2008
Contact: Anthony Turner
Public Affairs Officer
562-577-0343
anthony.j.turner@uscg.mil
http://www.news.auxpa.org/
America 's Waterway Watch program more relevant following Mumbai attacks
WASHINGTON D.C. - The public can help the Coast Guard keep America ?s waterways safe and secure. In light of the tragic terrorist attacks in Mumbai it is important to remember that all Americans play a vital role in homeland security. Whether you live, work or recreate near the waterways of the United States you can assist the Coast Guard by remaining vigilant and reporting suspicious activity.
With this in mind, the Coast Guard Auxiliary reminds the public of the America?s Waterway Watch program. America 's coasts, rivers, bridges, tunnels, ports, ships, military bases, and waterside industries may be the terrorists' next targets. Though waterway security has been increased greatly in recent years, with more than 95,000 miles of shoreline, over 290,000 square miles of water, and approximately 70 million recreational boaters in the United States , the Coast Guard and other law enforcement agencies can not do the job alone.
The America 's Waterway Watch program simply requests that the public do their part and report:
* unusual surveillance of vessel or waterside facility operations,
* unattended boats near bridges,
* unusual diving activities,
* unauthorized vessels operating in restricted areas, or other suspicious activities.
Call the National Response Center at 1-877-24WATCH or radio the Coast Guard on marine channel 16. Call 911 or marine channel 16 to report immediate danger to life or property. For your safety, do not approach or engage anyone acting in a suspicious manner ? call for help.
For more information on the America ?s Waterways Watch program please visit www.americaswaterwaywatch.org.
The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed civilian component of the United States Coast Guard. Created by an Act of Congress in 1939, the Auxiliary directly supports the Coast Guard in all missions, except military and direct law enforcement actions.
America 's Waterway Watch video is available at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCCKQjEqiJw
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SOME THINGS THE COAST GUARD SAYS YOU CAN DO TO HELP...
Keep your boat secure and locked when not in use. This includes when you visit a marina,
waterside restaurant, or friend's dock or pier. Never leave your boat accessible to others.
Take your keys with you.
When storing your boat, make sure the boat is secure and the engine disabled. If it's on a trailer,
then make the trailer as immobile as possible.
Do not stop your vessel or anchor beneath bridges or in channels. If you do, expect to be approached
and possibly boarded by law enforcement officials.
Observe and avoid all secure areas. If you don't know where these areas have been designated, check with
local law enforcement or the Coast Guard.
Do not venture into commercial port operational areas, especially those that involve military, cruise line,
fuel, petroleum, hazardous materials or other inventories that may be a target of terrorist activity.
Do not approach military, cruise line, or commercial traffic. Keep your distance. There is a 100 yard
security zone around these type of vessels, and the penalties for violating that security zone are severe.
Report all suspicious activity to local law enforcement authorities, the Coast Guard, the port or marina
security, the National Response Center, or to all of those. Do not approach or challenge any person or vessel acting in a suspicious manner. Some actions that you might consider to be suspicious are: filming or shooting photos from or of ships; divers near a ship; recovering or tossing items into the water or on the shoreline; signaling between boats or ships or to shore; unattended boats; diving near bridges or other structures; tranfer of people or things between ships, or between ships and the shore outside of a port;
missing or broken fencing or lighting around facilities; and unusual nightime operations. Pay particular attention to areas under and around bridges, entrances to tunnels, near power plants, near water intakes/treatment plants, near oil or chemical facilities, fuel docks, and near military bases.
To report suspicious activity, contact the National Response Center
1-800-424-8802
Here's a helpful brochure on the subject, thanks to the National Safety Boating Council.
News Article
The Coast Guard wants boaters to know that safe boating this summer means more than a life jacket and distress
horn - it means staying away from warships and potential terror targets, or they could get blown out of the
water.
The Coast Guard has drawn up new rules establishing protection zones around Navy ships and power plants
as a precaution against terrorism. The new restrictions say recreational boaters must slow to minimum speed at 500 yards away from a ship, and
stay at least 100 yards away unless they are granted special permission.
"Before you get too close, we'll try to raise you on the radio," said Jim Karr, a senior U.S. Coast Guard officer.
If need be, the Coast Guard and Navy are authorized to use lethal force against a boat that gets too close.
Before Sept. 11, that was unimaginable. Now the Coast Guard says it is not. But crew on board ships have just seconds to make that call.
"A vessel traveling 35 miles per hour -- in 24 seconds he will be in the 100 yard zone. And six seconds later the
commanding officer of that naval warship has to decide whether or not to use deadly force," said Karr.
A New Era
The rules went into place after Sept. 11, for the first time since World War II. Before that there were occasional
security zones for certain events or ships.
"We are not going to respond and act the way we did before 9-11," Vice Adm. James Hull of the U.S. Coast Guard
told ABCNEWS. "We are going to be more aware, we're going to know what our vulnerabilities are. Recreational
sailors can't do everything they did before." One boater, asked if he knew how close he could get to a Navy
ship, shook his head and laughed. "Not close," he said.
Not just Navy ships are off limits. There are more than 100 safety zones -- around nuclear power plants, cruise
ships and military piers. And boaters can no longer anchor under bridges or in channels. They can be fined or
arrested.
As the boating season officially gets underway, the estimated 70 million Americans who will take to the water
this summer will have to get used to the new rules -- rules designed to prevent terrorist attacks.
Copyright 2002 ABCNews.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Press Contact: Scott Croft, 703-461-2864, SCroft@BoatUS.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: September 11, 2003
RECREATIONAL BOATING VOICES NEEDED IN PORT SECURITY PLANNING BoatUS.com Offers an Easy Way to Get Started
Boat Owners Association of The United States is urging
recreational boaters - especially those in leadership roles - to have their
voices heard as port security plans are being drawn up by 44 U.S. Coast Guard
Captains of the Port who are responsible for 361 ports nationwide. To help
boaters get in contact with their port's Captain, a new webpage at BoatUS.com
allows boaters to instantly find out who their Captain
of the Port is and how to contact them.
"The goal of these committees will be how to increase port security
without unnecessarily restricting commerce and recreational boating," said
Dick Thompson, Associate Director of Federal Affairs for the association.
"The Coast Guard realizes that one size does not fit all, so they are
seeking public participation in each port from affected stakeholders. Some of
the issues they are considering include how boaters will be notified when a
security threat is imminent, what should be done when a threat has been
declared, what restrictions there will be during periods of heightened security
and what areas of a port will come under the security plan," he said.
"If we don't participate now, we may find some regulations unduly
restrictive in the future," he noted.
The committees will also be looking at infrastructure security issues as well,
including marinas, boat ramps, docks, anchorages and special events. Shore-side
security issues could effect a boater's access to the
waterfront.
To contact your local Captain of the Port and become involved, go to http://www.BoatUS.com, then go to "News/Gov't. Affairs" and click on "Government
Affairs." By clicking on the "Captain of the Port" icon, a list
appears. Boaters can then easily contact their Port Captain, either on the Web
or by phone, about participating on a committee.
Boat Owners Association of The United States is the nation's leading advocate
for recreational boaters and provides its 540,000 members with a wide array of
consumer services including a group-rate marine insurance program that provides
over $7 billion in hull coverage; the largest fleet of more than 400 towing
assistance vessels; discounts on fuel, slips, and repairs at over 700
Cooperating Marinas; boat financing; and a subscription to BoatU.S.
Magazine, the most widely read boating publication in the U.S.
For membership information visit http://www.BoatUS.com
or call 800-395-2628.
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Press Release - March 10, 2006
Contact: Robert T. Westcott
Division Chief External Communications
Public Affairs Department
(386) 717-8437
robwestcott@earthlink.net>
With reports of increased threats of a terrorist attack on our shores, the United States Coast Guard is
requesting the assistance of America’s 70 million boaters and others, who work, play, or live around our waterfronts,
rivers, lakes, and coastal areas to become part of our nation’s first line of defense, called America’s
Waterway Watch (AWW). America’s Waterway Watch is an outreach program akin to neighborhood watch programs
in many local communities but is focused strictly on marine-related areas. With over 95,000 miles of shoreline,
300,000 square miles of waterways, 6,000 bridges, 360 ports of call, and thousands of marinas, the United States
Coast Guard simply cannot be everywhere at once. We need all the eyes and ears of those who frequent
our waterways to be on the lookout for suspicious activities that might threaten our homeland security.
The Coast Guard Auxiliary, the volunteer civilian component of Team Coast Guard, currently with around 28,000 members,
is helping the active duty Coast Guard get that message out to the boating public. "We are appealing to all
those people who live, work or boat on our waterways, says Mike Renuart, the Auxiliary National Liaison for AWW.
"They are the very people who know the absolute difference between what is normal or routine and what is out of
place, peculiar, unusual, or a possible threat."
The AWW program has a central phone number, 1-877-24-WATCH (1-877-249-2824), where the public can report
suspicious activities. This information goes to the National Response Center located at U. S. Coast Guard headquarters,
which is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If what’s seen poses an immediate threat, boaters should call local
authorities by dialing 911, or the U.S. Coast Guard on Channel 16 of their VHF-FM marine radio. If someone sees something
that looks suspicious, boaters should call the AWW toll-free number.
The AWW program is already working. For instance, Sayed Abdul Malike, a suspected terrorist with known connections
to Al Qaeda, was apprehended back in 2003, based upon a tip from a local charter boat captain.
Your local Coast Guard Auxiliary unit has several promotional tools to help spread the word including an AWW decal
for the helm of your boat, a wallet card, poster, brochure and a video that marina owners, operators, or other
presenters can use to educate their residents, tenants, or customers.
For over 60 years, tens-of-thousands of men and women of the Coast Guard Auxiliary have spent millions of volunteer
hours helping the Coast Guard carry out its missions. For more information on America’s Volunteer Lifesavers,
visit our website at: http://www.cgaux.org/
For more information about America’s Waterway Watch, visit www.americaswaterwaywatch.org.
