The US Navy will install a floating fence around the Naval Magazine pier at Indian Island, near Port Townsend in Washington.

The 6,000ft-long fence will be designed to prevent attacks from suicide bombers such as the blast on a Arleigh Burke-class Aegis-equipped guided missile destroyer USS Cole, which killed 17 sailors in the Yemeni port of Aden on 12 October 2000.

Construction work on the fence is expected to be complete by 4 October 2009 and will not affect commercial and recreational vessel traffic at the pier.

Indian Island is being used by the Navy to load non-nuclear bombs, missiles, torpedoes, shells and bullets on to ships and submarines.