BOSTON – The Port of Boston exceeds federal standards to safeguard tankers carrying liquefied natural gas and crude oil, the port commander of the Coast Guard’s Boston office said Thursday after congressional auditors reported vulnerabilities at some U.S. ports.

Capt. Gail Kulisch called a harborside news conference a day after a Government Accountability Office report indicated some ports the agency’s auditors visited were hindered by a lack of resources to meet security duties including vessel escorts and boarding.

Tanker safety has become a major Boston area concern in part because of an LNG terminal at Everett in Boston Harbor. The terminal is one of five such facilities operating in the U.S., and the only one in a densely populated area.

Kulisch said the Coast Guard escorts every LNG tanker entering Boston Harbor, and conducts “numerous” harbor security patrols daily, with assistance from local law enforcement agencies. Tanker escorts include a Coast Guard craft on the water, as well as State Police helicopter crews who scan rooftops and docks for potential threats.

“In the Port of Boston, we exceed safety and security requirements, and we lead the nation as a model port for safety and security of LNG tankers,” Kulisch said.

Stephen Caldwell, the GAO’s head of maritime security, said Thursday that Kulisch’s portrayal of the situation in Boston was “generally consistent with what the GAO found.”

The report did not publicly identify ports where it found security problems.

Kulisch said authorities are “very well prepared” in case of a terrorist attack targeting a tanker in Boston Harbor, which handled 22 billion gallons of petroleum shipments including LNG and crude oil last year.

Authorities have plans to restore petroleum shipments and minimize disruption to businesses and residents after any attack, she said.

The GAO report to Congress said any attack at Everett during a cold winter could “result in natural gas shortages or price spikes,” because of the terminal’s importance as the Northeast’s only LNG facility, and limited extra capacity for the region’s pipelines during cold weather.

LNG is natural gas that has been cooled to minus 260 F, so that it becomes a liquid that can be transported in a tanker. Once brought ashore it is warmed so that it again becomes natural gas.

Various government studies have found that fire from a terrorism attack against a tanker carrying LNG could ignite so fiercely it would burn people one mile away.

The LNG safety issue also has generated controversy in Massachusetts because of proposed LNG terminals – including a pair offshore from Gloucester, and one in Fall River – to meet rising demand for natural gas. Nationwide, federal regulators have approved construction of at least 11 new facilities, and dozens more have been proposed.

Kulisch said the Coast Guard in Boston is prepared to take on the added responsibilities of ensuring safe tanker shipments off Gloucester when that site goes online. She declined to comment on the proposed terminal off Fall River, which falls outside the boundaries of her office’s territory.

The Coast Guard’s office for southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island has rejected plans for the Fall River terminal, saying tankers would not be able to safely navigate the river leading to the site. The company proposing the terminal has said it will continue to appeal.