BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - THE rumour of a bomb threat aboard cruise ship Navigator of the Seas that was docked yesterday (Mar. 21) at Port Zante had proven to be false.
Yesterday, SKNVibes received information of a bomb threat at Port Zante on the cruise vessel and, upon investigating, learned that there was no threat but a bomb drill was taking place.
Speaking with a well-informed source, he explained that the bomb drill was being done as a means of testing the security system's readiness to handle situations such as those if the need arises.
“Today we had a bomb scare drill and it was done in the development of an emergency situation plan. We are developing certain plans and we have to do drills to test the system to check the weaknesses.”
He also explained that no one, other than the person who calls and oversees the drill, is aware of it ahead of time, and that it is done that way to test the promptness of the security system.
“Someone would call and say that they see a suspicious package> He would determine its a bomb and the various stakeholders would take over. The Port is called, the police are called and the Maritime Security level rises depending on the threat level,” he explained.
He also explained that the person who is overseeing what should happen, based on the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code, would do an assessment and, from there, would develop another drill with the necessary corrective measures if needed.
The source also said that the drill should be done at least twice a year.
