"America's energy infra- structure is, as a whole, highly vulnerable to asymmetrical terrorist threats." That's the finding of a report submitted to the Office of Homeland Security last month by Bracewell & Patterson, L.L.P., a Houston-based law firm that specializes in counter-terrorism, public and corporate security. The sections of the report that deal with the maritime transportation and offshore exploration elements of the national energy infrastructure are particularly disturbing. Noting that terrorists "armed with little more than a skiff and simple explosives" blew a gaping hole in the armor of the USS Cole, the report says that, despite advances in safety, oil tankers are simply not designed to withstand even a rudimentary terrorist attack. A similar assault upon an oil tanker in a major U.S. port could have devastating Consequences.
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