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Agency Pushing Small Boat Security

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By JOSH POLTILOVE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 2, 2007

TAMPA - Thousands of Tampa Bay boaters and millions of boaters nationwide could feel the impact of the Department of Homeland Security's push to better scrutinize the nation's small boats.

The department and the U.S Coast Guard, fearful of a terrorist attack at a major port, are discussing ways to make themselves more secure from boats weighing less than 300 gross tons.

Some boaters don't like the suggestions, saying they could be too restrictive or expensive.

The Coast Guard wants required state boating courses to teach security protocol on the water. It has pushed for a new federal requirement for boat operators that would force them to carry government-issued identification on the water, such as a military identification, a passport or a driver's license.

The Homeland Security department also is floating the concept of requiring small boats to have tracking devices on them.

This summer, a small boat security summit was held in Washington, D.C., and attendees discussed ways to keep waterways safe. A final report from that event should be out this month, said Angela Hirsch, a spokeswoman with U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington.

Large boats already must have transponders that relay their position, Hirsch said.

The Coast Guard considers a small boat to be a vessel weighing less than 300 gross tons. This could include anything from pleasure boats to tug boats to small commercial operations, she said.

Tampa police work in cooperation with the Coast Guard and Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office to protect the area's port facilities and cruise terminals, Assistant Chief of Police Jane Castor said. Certain areas on the waterways are off-limits to any kind of watercraft - big or small.

"I haven't read anything saying that there are valid threats to our port areas," Castor said.

Sheriff's Maj. Ed Duncan said officers work hard to protect the area's waterways but that anything is possible, including an assault on the Port of Tampa.

Duncan said he hopes any new laws will strengthen security but said terrorists might not choose to abide by them.

"It's like anything else: The people compliant with our rules and laws are not generally the ones that commit the acts of crime," he said.

The Boat Owners Association of the United States, which represents 650,000 boat owners, supports the concept of improved homeland security but has a few issues with the small boat suggestions, association lobbyist Margaret Podlich said.

The association feels tracking devices are costly and that adding them to each boat might not increase security. Instead, Podlich said, the extra devices might overload the U.S. Coast Guard.

"How many dots on a radar screen can the Coast Guard actually use?" Podlich asked.

The Coast Guard hasn't taken a stance on the need for tracking devices on small boats, Hirsch said.

Podlich said the association also worries Homeland Security will push for a required, specialized identification card.

There's no need for such a thing, she said.

"We're absolutely not pushing for that," Hirsch said. "We just want to have the ability to require boaters to carry government-issued identification."

Larry Tieman, owner of TowBoatU.S.-Tampa Bay, said the best way to keep the waterways safe is for boaters to call the Coast Guard or a law enforcement agency when they see something suspicious.

In the meantime, he said, he feels pretty safe riding his tow boat across the region and he isn't particularly worried about small boats.

"Are we safe? Yes," he said. "Are we absolutely safe? Nobody's absolutely safe."

Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at (813) 259-7691 or jpoltilove@tampatrib.com.

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