Just after a tense week in which a would-be terrorist tried to blow up an airliner with a bomb concealed in his underwear in Detroit, V.I. officials rushed to the scene Sunday when a dud grenade was discovered aboard Celebrity’s Summit cruise ship at the West Indian Co. Ltd. dock in Charlotte Amalie Harbor.
Officials quickly determined the device was a harmless dud, according to a government statement.
Not taking any chances, the VI Police Department officers, including the Hazardous Device Unit, immediately secured the scene while experts made sure the device was harmless, according to the statement issued late Sunday night.
Passengers who had disembarked were held back until agents gave the all clear.
Governor deJongh received updates throughout the investigation Sunday by Mark Walters, director of the VI Territorial Emergency Management, according to the statement.
Emergency Medical Services, the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, Port Authority, Department of Tourism, WICO, V.I. Fire Services, VIPD, VITEMA, Customs and Border Protection, the Coast Guard, TSA, the Secret Service, and the FBI all participated in the effort to secure the scene and investigate the situation, according to the statement.
The device was found in a routine security inspection and appeared to be similar in appearance to a training device used in the military. A similar device was discovered by a crew member on the Asmara cruise ship Journey on December 12, 2009.
By mid-afternoon Sunday the all clear was given by the Police Department and passengers who had previously disembarked were allowed to return to the ship.
