On the morning of Saturday, August 9th, operations at Southampton Port’s Mayflower Terminal were interrupted following a report from a man claiming to possess an explosive device.
Police attended the scene, establishing a 200-metre exclusion zone around P&O Cruises’ vessel Ventura and the terminal building while specialist officers examined a lorry at the location.
The man was taken into custody on suspicion of communicating false information and committing a public order offence. Following a search, no device was found, and police declared that there was no risk to the public. The cordon was subsequently removed.
ABP/Associated British Ports, the port's manager, acknowledged the security matter and confirmed that police had since stood down, adding that it would support further enquiries by the relevant authorities. P&O stated that Ventura and the terminal had been evacuated as a precaution, citing the safety of passengers, crew, and port staff as paramount, and expressed appreciation for the cooperation of the authorities and patience of all involved.
Normal port operations resumed later the same day.
For more Ventura incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.