A P&O cruise ship was forced to evacuate after reports of a man “claiming to be in possession of an explosive device.”
Police were called at around 11.46am on Saturday, 9 August, to the Mayflower Cruise Ferry terminal in Southampton, Hampshire Police told The Independent.
Police erected a 200m cordon around the Ventura cruise ship to allow for specialist officers to search a lorry at the location.
A 63-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence and communicating false information (bomb hoax) has been bailed until 8 November.
After searches concluded and no devices were found, Hampshire Police said: “Searches concluded with no such device being located, and we are satisfied that there was no risk to the public.”
One passenger, Andy Palmer, said he was already onboard the ship when he saw one man being arrested.
He told the Mirror that he had just boarded Ventura and was enjoying "some lunch and a drink" when he saw below "a guy being dragged out of his car by six armed policemen".
Mr Palmer said passengers were told to go to their muster points, with staff also "turning people away" from the vessel, while "a couple of thousand" were waiting to embark.
The passenger said that there were people “panicking” in a Facebook group set up for the cruise, which is due to make stops in Portugal, the Canary Islands and mainland Spain on a 14-day round trip.
Before setting sail, Mr Palmer said it was “all a bit of a worry for people that have come a long way and paid a lot of money."
However, the incident ultimately did not hinder Ventura from departing from Southampton on Saturday.
The over 3,000-capacity cruise is due to arrive in Funchal, Madeira on Wednesday.
A P&O Cruises spokesperson confirmed that passengers were evacuated from Ventura.
“Due to a police incident and in an abundance of caution, we made the decision to evacuate Ventura and the passenger terminal on Saturday, August 9th,” they told The Independent.
“The incident was quickly resolved and normal embarkation operations resumed.
“The safety of our guests, crew and port staff is our highest priority and we are grateful for the co-operation of the authorities, as well as everyone’s patience whilst the precautionary measures were in place.
“Ventura is continuing its itinerary as planned,” they added.
A spokesperson for Associated British Ports, who run the Southampton terminal, said in a statement to The Independent: “We are aware of a security incident that occurred at the Port on Saturday, 9 August.
“Police attended the scene and have since stood down.
“Normal operations at the Port have resumed. We will support any ongoing enquiries by the relevant authorities."
The Independent has contacted Hampshire Police for comment.
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