Bomb Scare in Southampton Leads to Cruise Ship Evacuation

For thousands of cruise guests sailing out of Southampton in the UK, their vacations got off to a frightening start thanks to a bomb hoax.

On the morning of August 9, 2025, a bomb threat was reported at Southampton’s Mayflower Cruise Ferry Terminal, where P&O Cruises’ Ventura had just begun the embarkation process for a 14-night sailing to Spain, Portugal, and the Canary Islands.

By 11:46 a.m. local time, police were on the scene to investigate after an unidentified man claimed to have an explosive device.

In this case, extra police officers would have already been nearby, as the popular homeport beefed up security for the busy summer season.

A 200 meter (656 feet) perimeter was established while experts searched a motor truck belonging to the suspect and the surrounding area. Thankfully, the threat was not credible and no bombs were found. 

“We are satisfied that there is no risk to the public, and the cordon will now be lifted,” said a spokesperson for the Hampshire Constabulary. 

During the search, the cruise terminal and the 3,192-guest Ventura had to be evacuated out of an abundance of caution because they would have been within the range of a potential explosion. 

“The captain made an announcement that we were in the bomb zone and we had to get out,” an unidentified 28-year-old cruise guest told The Daily Echo. 

P&O Cruises later confirmed that an evacuation order was issued in an official statement. 

“Due to an earlier police incident and in an abundance of caution, we made the decision to evacuate Ventura and the passenger terminal. This incident has now been resolved and normal embarkation operations have resumed,” said a P&O Cruises spokesperson.

 “The safety of our guests, crew and port staff is our highest priority and we are grateful for the co-operation of the authorities,” the Carnival-owned brand continued.

 Princess Cruises’ Sky Princess, P&O Cruises’ Iona, and MSC Cruises’ MSC Virtuosa were also in the busy UK port during the incident, but were far enough away to not be directly impacted.

Only one cruise ship can dock at the Mayflower terminal at a time, and that spot was obviously taken by Ventura. 

No Real Threat & No Lasting Delays

Because of the delayed embarkation and evacuation efforts, current passengers were told to expect a delayed departure. 

“We are on Ventura and leaving late, hopefully about 6:15pm now,” one guest reported. 

As of 6:30 p.m. local time when I checked, cruise tracking data confirmed that the 116,017-gross ton ship was in the process of making her way out of the harbor.

Luckily, there should be no impact to the itinerary, with the ship still expected to make its first port call on Funchal (Madeira Island), Portugal, on August 13 as planned.

The other cruise ships in the port have reportedly set sail on time.

 A road closure at Dock 10 that was also put in place during the incident, which temporarily caused increased traffic within the port, has now also ended.

However, the suspect who called in the fraudulent bomb threat will likely find his life is put on a continual delay. 

Witnesses from onboard Ventura watched from the decks above as the man was taken into custody in the parking lot below. 

Andy Palmer told The Mirror that he was enjoying an early lunch when he saw “a guy being dragged out of his car by six armed policemen.”

Depending on the charges, the perpetrator could face penalties from a fine to potentially years in prison if he is found guilty.

Bomb threats are always taken seriously. But because of the misuse of resources and the inherent danger that comes with a bomb hoax, the people behind them are often slapped with severe punishments. 

Catie Kovelman

Catie is an award-winning journalist and researcher. By day, she helps market new movies and TV shows as a senior research manager. But by night, she loves writing cruise news. In addition to Cruise Hive, Catie has contributed to a variety of newspapers, magazines, and other online publications, such as The Plaid Horse, Unwritten, YourTango, Fangirl Nation Magazine, Chapman Magazine, the Orange County Register, and Voice of OC.