Charleston Port 'Dirty Bomb' Threat Cleared

A Charleston port "dirty bomb" threat has been cleared and the U.S. Coast Guard said the terminal in South Carolina can reopen.

Maersk Line, the world's biggest container shipping company and part of A.P. Moller-Maersk, said on Thursday that the Coast Guard had informed it of a threat of a "dirty bomb" aboard one of its vessels, reported Reuters.

A "dirty bomb" is a device using conventional explosives to disperse radioactive material.

A safety zone around the port also has been lifted after an investigation of a "potential threat" of a dirty bomb on the container ship.

"Unified Command determines no existing threat to the port. Terminal will reopen and safety zone has been lifted," the Coast Guard Southeast said on Twitter.

There were four containers where a threat was posed at the terminal, it said. "These have been scanned and cleared by authorities."

It said all crew members were safe and ashore.

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