LPG tankers seen as "next big terrorist vehicle for soft target attack"
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Well it was all fun and games on the 9th of January when we reported on the ship with the four boobs which had been parked for about a week in front of Sea Point's promenade. But now, after nearly a month of sitting there, it's getting a bit worrying. Especially after we did some investigating of our own into the various threats that a tanker of this sort could pose.
THE LPG VESSEL - STILL HERE!?
Our expert terrorism correspondent, Brett Aubin, had this to say:
LPG tankers are seen as the next big terrorist vehicle for a soft-target attack. They have pretty detailed security precautions but there is some concern that RPG\'s (Amongst other things) could rupture the tanks and that, in the worst case scenario, a blast in the 1/10 of a kiloton range could ensure.
Gas in these Red Tanks is refrigerated at about -110 degrees to keep it liquefied; if the tanks are ruptured, masses of liquid gas would instantaneously revert to its gaseous from - causing a massive gas cloud; if there was then a secondary spark from somewhere - this would explode in the same way as a massive fuel air bomb - working in exactly the same way as a Daisy Cutter or MOAB. Characteristics of this blast are a truly massive concussion or blast wave and nasty areas of \'induced vacuum\' where the bomb sucks up all the oxygen in the surrounds to feed the fireball. They exploded Daisy Cutters outside the caves in Tora Bora - the vacuum caused people in the caves to expel portions of their lungs. Nice.
Further investigation found confirmation of Brett's findings. Have a look at this article, and this, and this.
Look, luckily Cape Town and South Africa aren't in the terrorist's scopes, but, you know - must it be parked right here in front of us?
I reckon we get that ship the fuck out of our faces. ASAP.
Ta.
Seth Rotherham
Editor
2oceansvibe.com
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