In Gdynia, during group exercises of CTL Północ and the Baltic Mass Base Terminal, the application of procedures, their effectiveness and correctness in the event of a hooligan attack, vandalism or terrorist actions by third parties were checked. The simulation was carried out for a scenario assuming an intrusion into a locomotive by a person trying to use a knife to force the driver to leave the tracks of the railway infrastructure manager, PKP PLK.
Such a scenario, whether it is a hooligan or a terrorist one, may result in events, the consequences of which we will suffer for the next weeks or even months. There may be a catastrophe in which people, your own business, the economy in a macro scale or the natural environment will suffer, so the best method to predict the future is to create it, analyze it and look a step ahead. This is what all practical exercises that CTL Północ systematically conducts, analyzes their course, draws conclusions by creating procedures and good practices.
The exercise scenario assumed the loco driver leaving the locomotive after noticing an obstacle lying on the track, which allowed an outsider to enter the cabin. This person, by threatening to use a knife, tried to terrorize an employee of CTL Północ and force him to leave the tracks.
The loco driver, despite the imminent real danger, acted calmly, feeling threatened, informed the attacker about the need to notify the dispatcher of the BBM Terminal and the dispatcher of CTL Północ about his intention to leave the tracks of PKP PLK. He clearly communicated the danger of a locomotive derailment or a train crash in case of going without such consent. Such behavior of the loco driver was to make the attacker aware of the consequences of his demands and, as a result, to change the behavior and calm the situation down. The attacker, under the influence of persuasion, agreed to notify the dispatcher of the BBM terminal, which allowed for further actions to be taken to neutralize the attacker. The next steps, already taken by the mobile terminal security patrol, led the attacker to surrender, dismount from the locomotive, incapacitate and be taken from the scene. All activities performed by the employees of both companies as well as the mobile terminal security patrol during the simulation of the event were exemplary.
Paweł Stawarz, President of the Management Board of CTL Północ:
You have to invest both money and time in security. The current technological possibilities are almost limitless, but people generally fail. That is why you need to invest, train and test solutions. Just because nothing has happened so far doesn't mean it will always be like that. Exercising simulated threats has the greatest preparatory potential, they teach the entire organization to be mindful, accurate, follow procedures - all this minimizes the risks. In crisis situations, it is best to have a cold head, confidence in action, automatism. You have to practice to make it happen.
Paweł Pawlak, President of the Management Board of Bałtycka Baza Masowa Sp. z o.o. at the Port of Gdynia:
On the one hand, ongoing contacts and relations built between the staff of both companies gradually increase the level of trust between the employees cooperating with each other, which is of course a value in itself, but on the other hand, they reduce the routine, which may ultimately reduce the alertness of the staff working in the area of critical infrastructure so important for the economy. That is why cooperation with key business partners in the organization of anti-terrorist exercises is so important to us. Let us be prepared for emergency situations in which, hopefully, we will not have to prove ourselves, as I wish the employees of both our companies. For participation in the exercises, I would like to thank the company "KONSAL-OCHRONA Sp. z o.o., which has been providing security services to the BBM terminal for many years. It is a proven and reliable partner.
