EXPLOSIVES! SEARCH AND RESPONSE PROCEDURES

Consider this scenario – a bomb threat on the bridge of your vessel. What would you do? Unfortunately, we now live in the time when terror almost routinely includes the use of explosives, threatening commerce, threatening property, and threatening human lives. In this program, we will look into the threat posed by explosives, and preventive measures to minimize that threat. Searching the ship effectively, confronting the explosive device, and the effective planning and response are the integral parts of this training.

Ships are extremely vulnerable to a saboteur using explosives. He poses a different security threat than a stowaway or hostage taker as he will most likely try to remain anonymous and undetected. The explosive threat can be directed against a ship of a particular nationality for political reasons, against a policies or property of a particular shipping company, to sabotage or compromise a sensitive cargo, or to protest a grievance or issue.

The availability of explosive materials makes them extremely attractive for terrorists. As we can see from horrifying headlines, it is often very difficult to stop a terrorist, especially when he is willing to commit suicide to fulfill the mission. Still, there are sensible precautions that crews can take to help prevent explosive attack. First, they have to lock and seal any potentially vulnerable compartments, and watch for any signs of tampering, be especially alert to unusual objects in unexpected places, not touch any suspicious objects or packages – report them immediately…