Cruise Terminal #3 file photo. Photo: Port of Tampa
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a suspicious package found near a Royal Caribbean cruise ship at the Port of Tampa.
The Sheriff’s office said that a canine team on a routine safety inspection alerted to the package found on the dock at Terminal 3. HCSO says that the terminal was immediately evacuated as a precaution and an EOD technician team was sent to the scene.
As of 1:45pm EST, an initial sweep had been completed and a secondary sweep was in progress. The Sheriff’s office anticipated that the terminal would reopen within an hour.
Cruise Terminal #3 is a state-of-the-art passenger terminal and home to Norwegian Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.
Reuters reports that passengers in the terminal at the time were waiting to board the Jewel of the Seas.