A major police operation temporarily halted activities at the Ostseekai terminal in Kiel on Wednesday afternoon (10), following the discovery of suspicious pallets while refueling the cruise ship Mein Schiff Relax.
Parts of the Baltic Sea pier and the ship itself were evacuated as a precaution. The police acted with a strong contingent, including a bomb disposal team, which inspected the cargo. At the end of the afternoon, the alert was ended without any explosive devices being found.
The discovery happened around 1pm, during a routine safety inspection of the truck delivering goods to the ship. Four pallets showed traces that aroused suspicion. The specialized team arrived at the scene around an hour and a half later and carried out the tests directly on the pier.
The coiled wires found on the pallets were materials intended for use on board the ship, which ruled out the presence of explosives. Ostseekai Street and adjacent roads, including areas close to the city wall, castle gardens and Kaistraße, were closed during the operation.
Passengers who were already on board Mein Schiff Relax were able to remain on the ship, restricted to the starboard side as a safety measure. Only the port side was evacuated. Kiel police spokesman Mathias Stöwer confirmed the guidance given to guests.
Around 100 passengers who had not yet boarded gathered in the castle gardens. Crew members and port employees also waited at the scene. The check-in process, initially suspended, was resumed in the afternoon. The ship has capacity for around 2,000 passengers.
New ship in debut season in Kiel
Mein Schiff Relax, TUI Cruises’ new flagship, is in its first full season operating from Kiel. The incident occurred precisely on the day the ship was scheduled to begin a short four-night journey to Oslo, Norway.
Cruise ports like Kiel adopt strict security protocols, especially during fueling and boarding, which allowed the suspicious situation to be quickly detected. The coordinated response avoided further disruption, although it caused delays in the day’s schedule.
The original publication’s editorial note corrected initial information from the ship’s total evacuation to partial evacuation, based on police updates.