Coast Guard says it will board every foreign-flag ship in a U.S. port

Coast Guard says it will board every foreign-flag ship in a U.S. port    The U.S. Coast Guard said that starting today, the first day of enforcement for the International Ship and Port Security (ISPS) Code, it will board every foreign-flag vessel that sails into a U.S. port to check whether the ship is compliant with the code, which stipulates security rules aimed at foiling terrorists.
   'We're going to take a pretty hard line,' said Rear Adm. Larry Hereth, the Coast Guard's director of port security. Hereth said 700 Coast Guard personnel, including 500 reservists, will be part of its effort to board all ships as they enter the ports.
   The Coast Guard has a range of sanctions that can be imposed on vessels that fail to meet the ISPS Code standards, depending on what the problem is, Hereth said. An administrative glitch could be set right on board a vessel, he noted. If it should appear that the ship's operators have done little to comply with the ISPS Code, the vessel could be turned away.
   The Coast Guard also has the authority to detain a ship and require it to hire security guards until it has come into compliance. Many foreign-flag ships and overseas ports won't meet the standards, according to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations specialized agency that monitors shipping safety.
   For the next 10 days, the Coast Guard will operate a telephone help-desk 24 hours a day, according to Rear Adm. Thomas Gilmour, assistant commandant for marine safety. The numbers to call in Washington, D.C., is either (877) 687-2243 or (202) 366-9991.