A scrap metal field in Providence, Rhode Island, is one of a handful of U.S. port facilities that could be shut down because it hasn't implemented security plans required by the U.S. port security law, a Coast Guard official said.
Only 32 of the 3,200 port facilities haven't made security upgrades required by the new law, which goes into effect July 1, according to Coast Guard documents reviewed by The Associated Press. The facilities include a passenger terminal for casino cruises, a container yard, a bulk salt facility and the scrap metal field.
A Coast Guard official told the AP on condition of anonymity that the scrap metal yard was in Providence. The official didn't identify the business. There is more than one scrap yard facility in Providence.
Security officials at the Port of Providence didn't return messages for comment.
Another Coast Guard official, Lt. Chris O'Neil, a spokesman in Boston, said less than one percent of all facilities in the region, which runs from Maine to New Jersey, face any type of restrictions for failing to comply with the federally-mandated requirements.
O'Neil declined to name the installations or vessels that fall into that one percent, citing security. He said while the operations at some port facilities could be limited due to noncompliance, it's unlikely that an entire port would be closed.
Congress last year ordered the maritime shipping industry to tighten security amid fears that an attack on a port could kill thousands, cause tremendous property damage and cost tens of billions of dollars in lost revenue to the U.S. economy.
The deadline to comply with the new measures is July 1. Facilities face civil penalties of up to $25,000 for not complying with the new standards, which include improving lighting, installing closed circuit TV surveillance, adding guards and drawing up a terrorism protection plan, O'Neil said. Providence Journal