Missing Cargo Container from Ship Agile

Standard intermodal shipping container—corrugated steel box, twenty or forty feet long, secured with twist-locks on the freighter Agile's deck—turns up missing during routine inspection. Bartlet and his security team learn of the breach in the Residence hallway briefing; Ron Butterfield flags it as a potential vulnerability, while agents like Molly O'Connor and Randy Weathers absorb the news amid their readiness drill. The absence alone drives urgency, evoking unseen threats in everyday maritime traffic.

2 appearances

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S4E22 · Commencement

Overwhelming Force — Port Closed After Missing Container

The missing cargo container from the ship Agile is the catalytic clue delivered in the President's study; its absence is presented as a concrete anomaly that elevates the hallway drill into a national-security crisis, directly prompting the order to close the Port of Portland.

Before: Manifested on the Agile's shipping list (expected to be one of 46 containers at dock).

After: Unaccounted for — officially reported missing, subject of an immediate federal investigation and operational response.

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S4E22 · Commencement

Quiet News — Leo Tells Bartlet When Toby & Andy Will Be Induced

The missing cargo container on the Agile is the operational pivot that produced the tense port-closure briefing immediately preceding this private moment. Its absence creates the background threat that makes Leo's domestic news feel like a reprieve from crisis calculus.

Before: Reported missing from the Agile while the ship sat in Portland; manifest discrepancy (46 supposed, 45 present) flagged by Harbor Patrol.

After: Still missing and a central subject of the FBI hunt; the port has been ordered closed pending further investigation.

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