Seattle port terminal evacuated; no bombs found

No bombs, explosives or other potential threats were found in two containers from Pakistan that caused the closure of Seattle's Terminal 18 on Harbor Island for almost five hours.

Bomb-sniffing dogs had "alerted" on the containers after a gamma-imaging device — which is like an X-ray machine — detected unknown objects in the containers, said U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Mike Milne. The explosives-sniffing dog reacted to both containers, prompting the evacuation and establishment of a 500-yard safety zone on land surrounding the terminal and a 300-yard safety zone along the Seattle waterfront, Molle said.

It's not known why the bomb-sniffing dogs were alerted to possible explosives, but Port of Seattle spokesman Mick Shultz said an intensive search of the containers by federal, state and local law enforcement officers detected no threats among the cargo of clothing, bedding and textiles designated for use as rags.

The terminal was reopened by 5:30 p.m, Shultz said.

A test performed on the containers came back negative for radioactive material, he said.

The Seattle Fire Department Hazardous Materials Team also responded to make sure "there were no chemical issues" with the two containers, said Lt. Sue Stangl. The cargo containers came from Pakistan and were put on board the Seattle-bound vessel from a "feeder vessel" somewhere in Asia, Milne said. The vessel originated in Hong Kong and made its last stop in Pusan, South Korea. The two cargo containers were among a group of 72 targeted for extra screening before the vessel arrived in the U.S., Milne said.

Milne said each container entering the country is assigned a "risk" score based on an analysis of a ship's manifest, description of merchandise, and weight of individual containers. The National Targeting Center near Washington, D.C., then alerts ports across the country about which containers to focus on, he said.

The vessel, called the Rotterdam, is owned by China Shipping, Milne said. It left Hong Kong July 29 and made two stops at Chinese ports before departing from Pusan Aug. 5.

The Rotterdam arrived at the Seattle port on Monday, Milne said. It can take up to 24 hours to unload a large shipping vessel, he said, noting that it is not uncommon for it to take a day or two before officials can inspect suspect containers.

Although the eastern waterway of the Duwamish River was closed to ship traffic, Shultz said no other vessels were expected in the port today. As a result, he said, there were fewer truck drivers and longshoremen that needed to be evacuated. Shultz could not say how many people were affected.