British armed police raided the country’s largest cruise port at the weekend following a bomb threat.
It led to a cruise terminal and docked cruise ship being evacuated. A man was arrested after he claimed he was carrying an explosive device at the Mayflower Cruise Terminal.
Cruise Terminal and Ship Evacuated
Police were called and they imposed a 200-meter exclusion buffer zone around the terminal.
The terminal and the P&O Cruises’ Ventura cruise ship were evacuated.
Bomb disposal experts inspected a truck in the vicinity and concluded no explosive device was found. “We are satisfied that there is no risk to the public, and the cordon will now be lifted,” a Hampshire Constabulary spokesperson later said.
Not all cruise guests had been evacuated when police eventually gave the all-clear. One passenger onboard told local media he watched as armed police arrived at the terminal car park.
“The captain made an announcement that we were in the bomb zone and we had to get out. They stopped letting guests on board and closed off the port. Crazy stuff,” the unnamed passenger said.
“We didn’t get off. The police stood everyone down when they cleared it. A lot of the guests are really frustrated, saying it’s ruined the start of their voyage.”
Man Led Away in Handcuffs By Armed Police
Images shared with the media showed armed police surrounding the truck. A man was then led away by police in handcuffs. Police later said a 63-year-old man was arrested for an alleged public order offense and communicating false information. He has since posted bail.
“Due to an earlier police incident and in an abundance of caution, we made the decision to evacuate Ventura and the passenger terminal,” a P&O Cruises spokesperson said.
“The safety of our guests, crew, and port staff is our highest priority. We are grateful for the cooperation of the authorities. Thank you for everyone’s patience whilst the precautionary measures were in place.”
During the partial port lockdown, all vehicles were stopped from entering the cruise terminal area which led to traffic congestion around the Southampton Waterfront area.
The cruise terminal is used mostly by Carnival Corp cruise line brands including Princess, Cunard, as well as P&O Cruises.
