Harbor security fails federal test

Effective tomorrow, July 1, state harbors are supposed to be operating under facilities security plans approved by U.S. Coast Guard leaders.

None of them will meet that deadline.

So in lieu of approved Coast Guard plans, state Department of Transportation Harbors Division officials, as well as representatives of commercial entities like Matson and Young Brothers who operate businesses at Nawiliwili Harbor and other facilities, have letters from Coast Guard leaders giving them authority to continue operating until approved plans are in place, said Bob Crowell, Nawiliwili harbormaster.

While all state harbors’ security plans have received “phase-one” approval from the Coast Guard, all of the initial plans were sent back to harbors officials with “deficiencies,” Crowell said. The Nawiliwili plan has been revised and sent back a second time to Coast Guard officials, who have contracted a civilian firm to review the thousands of harbor security plans it now requires, he explained.

“We’re all standing by to see if we passed stage two,” said Crowell, adding that there is a stage three that also needs to be passed before Coast Guard officials will formally sign and approve harbor-security plans.

Coast Guard leaders are sorting through thousands of security plans submitted, and simply couldn’t get to all of the plans before the July 1 deadline, Crowell speculated.

The idea behind the beefed-up harbor security is to make harbors as secure as airports, “or as close as possible,” said Crowell. That will be difficult, since harbors, unlike most airports, are easily accessible from the water. Federal officials have said that harbors and the commercial ships (including cruise ships) using them could be terrorist targets.

Changes are under way at Nawiliwili, many of them visible, like erection of higher perimeter fences (to eight feet from six feet) topped with barbed wire; higher entry gates, also topped with barbed wire; and, beginning Thursday, full-time security at the Matson entry gate (the Young Brothers gate has had a security presence for some time during the hours the gates are open, Crowell said).

When cruise ships are in port, like today and tomorrow, when the Pride of Aloha makes its inaugural Nawiliwili stop (in at 7 a.m. today, out at 1 p.m. tomorrow), there will be three security officers at the Matson gate. They will check everyone’s picture identification card, make sure they have legitimate business at Pier 1 or Pier 2, and check all vehicles, including making random searches of some vehicles, Crowell said.

Also beginning July 1, Coast Guard leaders require around-the-clock, roving security patrols inside the harbor’s perimeter fence. Before, when there were no operations in the harbor, the facilities would simply be locked down, with no physical security presence, Crowell explained.

The Coast Guard facilities security plan also requires everyone who frequents the harbor, including greeters and shuttle, bus and taxi drivers, to undergo maritime security awareness training, he explained. Crowell recently was supplied with a definition of what “frequents” means: visiting the harbor two times or more within three months.

For now, the training is a basic briefing on keeping eyes peeled for suspicious characters and situations, and sitting through a 40-minute security video that Matson officials produced for their employees and regular customers, Crowell continued.

The new federal harbors security rules also mandate state harbors officials to become facility security officers. At Nawiliwili, those are Crowell and two assistants, Andrew Garcia and Jon Nekomoto. Garcia came out of retirement to help out until a permanent replacement is hired, Crowell said. All three had to undergo two days of training to become facility security officers.

The Pride of Aloha is in port today on its inaugural, repositioning cruise, and begins regular interisland cruises next week. Then, the ship will normally arrive in Nawiliwili each Monday at 7 a.m., leaving each Tuesday at 1 p.m.

Paul C. Curtis, associate editor, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or pcurtis@pulitzer.net.