In an effort to solidify the importance of maritime safety measures, a mock full scale emergency drill dubbed, “Exercise Iron Shield,” will take place next Thursday.
The announcement was made Wednesday at the Port Department by Controller Captain Anthony Allens.
The full-scale drill will take place at about 1.30 p.m. on May 19 and last about one hour.
“Because we so heavily rely on imports, any disruption to the maritime trade creates serious negative impact for this country and is therefore extremely important; however, of higher priority is the protection of the citizens of The Bahamas as the five million-plus visitors that come to our shore annually,” he said.
As the government continues to remain in compliance with the International Ship and Port Facility (ISPS) Code, the major multi-agency exercise seeks to:
1. Identify all deficiencies and attributes of the existing Port plan.
2. Evaluate the response time and capabilities of all agencies involved.
3. Evaluate the efficiency of the communication system and,
4. To evaluate the co-ordination and co-operation of all participating agencies.
In addition, Capt Allens explained that local and foreign evaluators and observers will seek to ensure that the broadest possible objective view is derived from the exercise, for maximum benefit.
ISPS Code co-ordinator for The Bahamas, Lt Commander Herbert Bain, explained what would take place on the day of the drill.
“Firstly we will have a bomb threat. A call is going to come in and we are going to be testing the Port’s plan to see how we are able to respond to that particular call. The entire Port facility on that day will be evacuated and then we will have a simulated explosion.”
There will be a big bang with smoke and the perception that the Port is on fire, he noted.
“Portions of the downtown area are going to have to be closed down to vehicular traffic,” and traffic in and out of the area will be rerouted, he highlighted.
Everybody in that facility and the immediate area will be evacuated, as well, he stated.
He noted further: “This exercise is planned to have minimal disruption to the tourists who will be coming here on that day because we have a plan in place where we are going to divert them through the western gate.”
The Prince George Wharf became an ISPS Code facility on July 1, 2004, and as a result, a drill must be carried out every three months at the Port facility, Lt Commander Bain stated. A major drill should be carried out once every calendar year. The exercise can take the form of a full-scale exercise or a tabletop exercise. “This is now our attempt to put into practice what we would have on the table and see if we could actually play it out,” Mr Bain explained, pointing out that a tabletop discussion took place a few weeks ago.
He suggested that if people do not have a reason to be downtown on that day they should avoid the area entirely.
Mr Bain pointed out that there would be no compromise of security on the dock that day, because as they respond to the emergency security must remain in tact.
After the exercise, Mr Bain said there will be an “after action review or an analysis basically to determine what went right, what went wrong, what we can improve on.”
Capt Allens stressed that the drill is necessary to keep the Port’s ISPS Code standard and preventing it from being classified as an unsecured port, thus discouraging most cruise ships that come from ISPS Code Ports from calling.
“If the Prince George Wharf Port of Nassau is perceived not to have these security and safety measures in place, then the likelihood of cruise ships coming here will dwindle,” Capt Allens said.
Participating in the drill will be the Royal Bahamas Defence and Police Force, Road Traffic Department, Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health, Public Hospitals Authority and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). Mr Allens noted that private sector involvement will come from “several cruise ships that will be calling on the day of the exercise, all vendors at the Festival Place and hotels in the immediate area of Prince George Wharf, including the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort.” Doctors Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital will also participate, to test their emergency response system.
By: JIMENITA SWAIN, The Nassau Guardian
