The US Coast Guard (USCG) said that around 8pm on Wednesday it was made aware of a potential threat onboard the Maersk Memphis berthed at Charleston’s Wando Welch Terminal.
“The Maersk Memphis is currently moored at Charleston's Wando terminal which has been evacuated while law enforcement units from federal, state and local law enforcement agencies investigate the threat,” the USCG said in a statement.
A 1nm safety zone has been established around the vessel and a Unified Command Established.
ABC News 4 quoted Capt. Greg Stump, commander for Coast Guard Sector Charleston, that a YouTube “conspiracy theorist” made a claim about a threat aboard the Maersk Memphis, and authorities are investigating the threat out of an “abundance of caution”. The video can be viewed below.
CNN reported that the search is isolated to a certain section of the containers, and is expected to go into Thursday morning.
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