A bomb threat phoned in today brought the B Street Cruise Terminal on Harbor Drive in downtown San Diego to an abrupt halt, locking down the busy waterfront hub and briefly trapping cruise passengers on board their ships while police swept the area with bomb-sniffing dogs.
Explosive-detection canine teams combed the terminal and surrounding area, slowing cruise operations and delaying several ships. Roughly two hours later, officers cleared the facility and passengers were finally allowed to disembark.
What officials said
Harbor Police Sgt. Jose Torres told KGTV that an employee received the bomb threat by phone at about 7 AM. The terminal was immediately locked down out of an abundance of caution while Explosive Detection Canine Units searched the premises.
According to KGTV, multiple vessels were temporarily held up during the inspection, including a Disney cruise ship that had to wait while the sweep played out.
About the terminal
The B Street Cruise Terminal, operated by the Port of San Diego, sits on the Embarcadero and handles most of the city’s cruise calls. The port lists the facility at 1140 North Harbor Drive.
The terminal features two berths and shore-power hookups and routinely manages ship turnarounds that help feed nearby downtown hotels, bars and restaurants with a steady stream of rolling suitcases.
Travelers and operations
Passengers on the affected ships were held on board while crews and Harbor Police coordinated the sweep. It was not exactly the magical arrival some Disney cruise travelers had in mind, but the wait was brief compared with what a full closure could have meant.
KGTV reported that a Disney cruise vessel was among those delayed. Police did not release further information about the specific nature of the threat, and normal operations resumed once the canine teams finished their search and cleared the area.
Security upgrades behind the scenes
Port and Harbor Police officials have been investing in threat-detection equipment over the past few years. State CEQA filings indicate the port received FEMA Port Security Grant funding for camera and threat-detection upgrades that include the B Street Pier.
Those behind-the-scenes tools are designed to speed up security checks and reduce the economic ripple effects when cruise operations are temporarily paused for safety sweeps like Monday’s bomb scare.
