The U.S. Coast Guard is warning of a potential threat at the Port of Charleston this morning.
The warning stated that authorities were “made aware” of a potential threat in a container aboard the vessel Maersk Memphis, which was at the port.
According to an emailed release from the Coast Guard, the agency learned of the potential threat at 8 p.m. Wednesday.
The release, sent from the Coast Guard’s 7th District offices in Miami, stated that Charleston’s Wando terminal has been evacuated while law enforcement from federal, state and local agencies investigate the ship.
A unified command has been established to oversee a coordinated response, according to Coast Guard officials.
Columbia, S.C., television station WLTX reported that, though law enforcement had no evidence of explosives aboard the vessel, they were investigating out of an abundance of caution.
The online site vesselfinder.com showed that the Maersk Memphis was docked on the Wando River this morning after arriving from the northeast earlier.
Meanwhile, the New York Daily News and Charleston’s WCSC TV station said the possible threat being investigated was a “dirty bomb.” Such a device combines conventional explosives with radioactive material, such as nuclear waste. ___
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