This is an evacuation, not a bon voyage.
Sorry for my delay in replying - My isp went down and I could not connect to the internet.
On TV they are clearly showing footage people who were getting on the ferry yesterday were lined up at the dock in a single line and everyone in line was being checked (Id's, passports, carry-on bags) before they were allowed to walk on to the ferry.
I would assume safety measures are being taken because it would be so easy for some suicide bomber to get on one of these ships or ferries if there was a huge rush to get people on the vessels without checking out who they are and what is in their carry-ons.
They showed footage of 100's of people waiting near hotels with buses in the heart of Beirut. The buses are then taking the people to the port so that they can get on one of the docked vessels.