A 39-year-old man was taken into custody and formally charged on Saturday, October 14, for reportedly issuing a bomb threat against Resorts World Cruises' ship Genting Dream. This incident had notable repercussions for both the operational aspects of the voyage and the passengers on board.
The alleged bomb threat came to the attention of Singaporean law enforcement after a cruise operator reported it on Friday around 4 p.m.
The incident transpired on a cruise vessel berthed at Singapore's Marina Bay Terminal. Promptly responding to the report, local authorities, including the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and security personnel from the Terminal, promptly initiated thorough security assessments on the vessel. Fortunately, no suspicious items or explosive devices were discovered on the ship.
As a consequence of the extensive security checks, cruise shipping operations were briefly suspended, causing a 2-hour delay in the embarkation process. This disruption impacted ~4000 passengers.
Following the incident, the police initiated an investigation, which resulted in the apprehension of a 39-year-old individual in a mere three hours after the bomb threat was reported.
The suspect, Neo Hui Ghim, potentially faces a sentence of up to 7 years in prison, a financial penalty reaching SGD 50,000 (~USD 36,500), or both.
According to court records, the individual allegedly emailed Resorts World Cruises' customer service department with the subject line "Bomb at Resorts World Cruises." In the email, he purportedly conveyed the message, "Please return me back my money, else the ship will explode, and everyone will be dropped into the sea."
In view of the circumstances and the possible mental health considerations related to his actions, the man has been placed under remand at the Institute of Mental Health for a medical evaluation.
For more Genting Dream incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.