Anguilla’s capacity to handle a real life disaster at sea was tested on Wednesday this week when a locally-owned ferryboat, Samanta, was used for the purpose of the drill exercise in the channel between Blowing Point Port and Marigot, St. Martin.

The Ferry boat Samantha which was depicted a strickened vessel with Emergency Services in attendance

Emergency teams and vehicles converged on the port as the Marine Police and Fisheries launches went out to the supposedly-stricken ferry with “a fire” on board and with some of its passengers injured.

“That is what we are practicing both in terms of the command structures which we are operating from the Emergency Operations Centre in The Valley and what is actually going on at sea,” Governor Alistair Harrison, who has responsibility for Disaster Preparedness, told media representatives.

The Ferry boat Samantha which was depicted a strickened vessel with Emergency Services in attendance

“That is really a realistic scenario which we really could not have done without the crew of RFA Fort George who are the observers of the exercise, and giving us some lessons…"
The practical scenario followed a “table top” exercise held earlier at Police Headquarters in which a number of persons from various inter-agencies participated.

The Governor added: “The whole thing about this exercise is that it tests the coordination of the emergency services: the Police, Fire Service, Medical Services, Port Authority, Customs and Immigration services. There are challenges for all of those organisations in this kind of scenario.”

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