Graffiti prompts Long Beach port hazmat response

Portions of a Port of Long Beach terminal shut down for about five hours Wednesday until a misspelled graffiti message scrawled on a 40-foot container was determined to be a hoax.

The truck carrying the container entered the TTI Terminal on the port's Pier T at about 10:30 a.m. A security guard noticed the graffiti saying, ntharax inside, and regards from Osama spray-painted on the back.

The driver opened the container before authorities arrived, finding it empty. After moving the trailer to an isolated area for inspection, U.S. Coast Guard and Long Beach police and fire units sealed off a portion of the 385-acre TTI terminal and briefly evacuated an adjacent 18-acre lumber terminal operated by Weyerhauser.

Hazardous materials crews inspected the container and found no contaminants. Samples were taken for further analysis, but fire officials said it would be 72 hours before the results were returned. The container would remain impounded until then.

The terminal resumed normal operations by about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. 

Source: American Shipper