Radiation Scare Disrupts Port Elizabeth

The Maher Terminal at Port Elizabeth has been cleared for danger after a radiation scare prompted a security response.

Customs officials had suspicion about a shipping container that they were examining. An abnormally high radiation reading was detected, but CBP, FBI, the Port Authority of NY/NJ and other law enforcement officials initiated protocols to isolate and verify the source of the alarm.

According to New Jersey’s Star-Ledger, a Port Authority official said the container was filled with recycled paper, and a metal wire that bound the paper was the source of a positive reading for Caesium-137, a radioactive isotope formed during nuclear fission.

After review and confirmation from CBP’s Laboratories & Scientific Services, the container was deemed safe. The situation was resolved in less than two hours. Customs officials took control of the container and were moving it to a secure location.

Lengthy lines of trucks were at a standstill waiting to exit the port facility as the investigation was underway. At least 15 emergency response vehicles were on scene, along with various officers.