A large-scale counter-terrorism exercise involving police, emergency services and port authorities was carried out at Limassol port’s container terminal on Wednesday, in what organisers described as the first ever exercise of its kind to be conducted at the facility using real operational resources.

The exercise, called, “Port Shield 2026”, took place at the Eurogate Container Terminal Limassol (ECTL) and was organised by the terminal operator in collaboration with the Cyprus police and the Cyprus Ports Authority.

According to organisers, the exercise was designed to assess the effectiveness of existing security measures, test operational coordination procedures and strengthen cooperation between public and private sector agencies in responding to potential terrorist threats affecting ships and port facilities.

Conducted under realistic operational conditions, the full-scale field exercise tested the preparedness and response capabilities of participating services through a simulated security incident.

The exercise involved executives and staff from Eurogate CTL, as well as personnel from the Cyprus police, the ambulance service, the deputy ministry of shipping, the Cyprus Ports Authority and DP World Limassol.

Eurogate CTL chief operating officer Alexandros Demetriades said the exercise provided an opportunity to evaluate both security measures and operational coordination procedures under realistic conditions.

“We are pleased with the successful outcome of the exercise,” he said, adding that lessons learned would be carefully assessed to further improve response times and coordination among participating services.

Demetriades noted that the exercise was the first large-scale operation of its kind to be conducted at the port of Limassol using actual operational resources and involving a significant number of participants.

“As operators of the container terminal, which handles a significant share of Cyprus’ trade on a daily basis, terminal security remains one of our highest priorities,” he said.

He added that Eurogate CTL would continue to strengthen its risk prevention practices and security measures in cooperation with the relevant authorities to ensure that the terminal remains among the safest container facilities in the eastern Mediterranean.