'Dirty bomb' threat to ship Maersk Memphis in US port

The Port of Charleston in the US was evacuated after a threat of a "dirty bomb" on board the container ship Maersk Memphis.

"The vessel was immediately evacuated and all crew is safe and ashore. We are cooperating fully with the authorities handling the situation," Maersk said in a statement.

The US Coast Guard said authorities were made aware of the potential threat in a container aboard the vessel at about 8pm local time and that the terminal had been evacuated.

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A "dirty bomb" is an explosive device loaded with radioactive or radiation polluted materials. It is not a true nuclear weapon.

The vessel arrived at the port from New York and before that sailed from Oman, according to ThomsonReuters data.