KETCHIKAN, Alaska — The Seventeenth Coast Guard District Command Center located in Juneau, Alaska received an anonymous phone call this morning in which the caller threatened to detonate fuel tanks at the Petro Marine fuel facility in Ketchikan.
In response, Coast Guard Sector Juneau has raised the Maritime Security (MARSEC) Level in the Port of Ketchikan from Level 1 to Level 2. The MARSEC level in all other Southeast Alaskan ports remains at Level 1. MARSEC Level 2 is set in response to a specific threat and mandates a heightened security posture for the Coast Guard and marine industry personnel.
Additionally, Coast Guard Sector Juneau has established a safety zone to redirect vessel traffic away from the potential blast zone. Mariners must stay at least 500 yards from the Petro Marine facility. Coast Guard Station Ketchikan is enforcing the safety zone.
Coast Guard Sector Juneau is working closely with Ketchikan Port Authority partners including the Alaska State Troopers, the Ketchikan Police Department and the Transportation Security Agency to mount a coordinated joint response to the threat.
