Countering Maritime Terrorism in the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean: Implications of Possible Maritime Terrorism in the Caribbean

摘要

The United States is a major trading partner with Trinidad and Tobago, and many ships transport dangerous cargoes like liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the port of Point Fortin to Eastern seaboard ports in the United States. Despite the potential danger these cargoes pose, they were not viewed as a particular threat to the United States until the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, when aircraft were used as weapons of mass destruction. Since the 11 September attacks, the United States has taken measures that will make it very difficult for terrorists to initiate a similar attack. A determined terrorist will now have to be more imaginative and look further afield to find targets to strike. Many terrorists may look to the sea for such targets of opportunity. One possibility is that terrorists could capture an inbound tanker loaded with LNG, blow it up, and in doing so cause a number of casualties and serious infrastructure damage. The author attempts to answer the following question: Given the potentially dangerous cargoes that sail the sea from Trinidad and Tobago to ports in the United States, what measures should be adopted to increase maritime security to deter potential terrorists from following this course of action.