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Tom Whitehurst

Tuesday, September 18, 2001

Port faces added budget cost as it doubles security

Lack of a water patrol, ship crews' access are discussed

The Port of Corpus Christi has doubled its security force and the resulting expense will add at least 25 percent to what the port budgeted for security this year, port officials said Monday.
   That expense, about $250,000 on top of the $1 million annual contract to Amtex Security owned by U.S. Rep. Solomon Ortiz, wasn't part of a spirited discussion among port commissioners about security during their regular monthly meeting Monday. That meeting had been postponed a week ago because of the terrorist attacks.
   Port security was a discussion point while the commissioners debated the South Texas Military Facilities Task Force's request for funding. The board granted $50,000 in a split vote after arguing the merits of Mayor Loyd Neal's request for a two-year commitment of $100,000. Commissioner Ruben Bonilla cautioned against committing port funds for an effort that might not be necessary next year, while the port might face mounting expenses for security in the meantime because of the terrorist attacks of a week ago today.
   Port Vice Chairman Robert Gonzalez and Secretary Kenneth Berry also raised the issue. Both said they were concerned that ship crews are allowed to leave ships at will - an easy means of entry for terrorists - and said they'd like to see crews' access off ships limited.
   Port Executive Director John LaRue said the port has no power to do so. Only the federal government would have that jurisdiction, he said.
   Berry also raised a concern about the port's lack of a water patrol. He said pleasure boats have been known to enter the inner harbor, which they're not supposed to do. Port industries, meanwhile, have stepped up their security noticeably, Berry said.
   "While industry focuses on the front gate, we need to focus on the back gate, which is the water side," Berry said.
   The port has doubled the number of security guards provided by Amtex, from 10 to 20, said David Solis, the port's risk manager, who oversees the contract. The doubling of security through the end of the year will cost at least an additional $250,000, LaRue said.
   The pay of Amtex's staff ranges from $1 to $2 over the minimum wage for guards, to $12 an hour for a captain, Solis said. They are required to be trained in how to handle bomb threats, traffic control, riot control and first aid, he said.
   Other new security measures, Solis said, include:

A review of the nationalities of foreign vessels' crew before the ships arrive by the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

A Coast Guard mandate that all vessels with hazardous cargo have 24-hour roving security on board while they're in port.

And 24-hour roving land security by refineries while those ships are moored at their docks.
   Water security
   Those details, and the Amtex guards' pay and training requirements, weren't part of the commissioners' discussion Monday. Berry primarily questioned the port staff about the lack of water security. Bonilla broke in and asked that the issue not be discussed in public - for security reasons. He also called the discussion hysteria-driven.
   Berry took issue with that.
   "I express concern, not to be fearful, not to be hysterical," he said.
   The commissioners agreed to let the staff report back to them about security measures.
   Bonilla and Commissioner Tony Pletcher questioned the request for two years of funding for the military task force, which lobbies for South Texas bases during base-closure hearings. They pointed out that the commission isn't allowed to make allocations more than a year in advance. The same stricture prevented the city from committing to two years of funding, Bonilla pointed out.
   He also noted that Nueces County commissioners approved $30,000 after they had been asked for $50,000.
   Changed motion
   Berry, who had made a motion to give the two years of funding, plus make the port's lobbyists available to the task force, changed his motion to one year at $100,000.
   Bonilla then moved to amend the amount to $50,000 for one year. Bonilla's motion passed, 4-3. The commissioners then voted unanimously to grant the funding.
   The task force money would pay for consultants in Washington, D.C., and Corpus Christi. The Washington consultants haven't been chosen but Neal said the task force has estimated $108,000 for two years based on preliminary discussions. The cost for the local consultant, Gary Bushell, who has taken part in the previous efforts to avert local base closure, would be $42,000 for two years.

Business editor Tom Whitehurst Jr. can be reached at 886-3619 or by e-mail at whitehurstt@caller.com