MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. — Coast Guard officials confirm the Wando Welch terminal of the Port of Charleston has been evacuated, and part of the Cooper River has been shut down because of a threat.
Capt. Greg Stump, commander for Coast Guard Sector Charleston, says local, state and federal authorities are all on scene investigating the threat, and employees have been evacuated.
According to Capt. Stump, a YouTube “conspiracy theorist” has made a claim about a threat aboard a ship in the port, and authorities are investigating out of an abundance of caution.
Stump says the threat is more to the vessel itself than to public safety.
A source tells ABC News 4 port officials informed employees the evacuation was due to a bomb threat.
According to our source, the reported bomb is aboard the Maersk Memphis, which docked around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Online shipping records show the Maersk Memphis arrived at the Port of Charleston from New York shortly before 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Four containers that posed a threat to a shipping terminal in South Carolina were cleared and it was determined there was no existing threat to the port, the Coast Guard said early Thursday.
The FBI said late Wednesday it was investigating a report of a dirty bomb on the Maersk Memphis ship at the Wando Terminal in the Port of Charleston.
The terminal was evacuated, along with a section of the Cooper River. Authorities said Thursday the terminal will re-open and the safety zone was lifted.
Capt. Greg Stump, the commander for the Coast Guard sector in Charleston, said a YouTube “conspiracy theorist” made a clam about a threat on board one of the ships, according to ABC News 4.
Workers told Fox Carolina they were all sent home and told to leave the terminal at around 9 p.m.
Boaters were also escorted off the water due to the situation, according to the station.