Tanker Ship Reportedly Hijacked in the English Channel, Military Intervened

An oil tanker operated by Greece has reportedly attempted to be hijacked off the coast of the Isle of Wight in the English Channel. Luckily, the British Navy's special forces unit immediately neutralized the hijacking attempt by some of the stowaway. Reporting from RT on Sunday (25/10/2020), as many as seven people have been detained due to the incident. The British Ministry of Defense, on Sunday evening confirmed that British army personnel had successfully captured the ship.

Previously, British police and coast guard had been deployed to deal with the incident of the tanker heading to the port in Southampton, England. The ship was originally reported to have left the Nigerian port of Lagos earlier this month. However, the ship did not reach its destination on time. Moments later, the oil tanker sent a distress signal as it sailed past the Isle of Wight. British media reported that some of the stowaways, possibly from Nigeria, were found taking shelter in specific locations on the ship.

Police later confirmed that the stowaway made verbal threats to the crew that raised concerns about the safety of the seafarers. Some reports say stowaways tried to hijack the ship. However, this report was immediately denied by the ship owner's lawyer. Isle of Wight Radio reports that the police finally requested military assistance to resolve the situation. Initially, the military said they were not involved because they thought the incident was the duty of the police and coast guard.

But in the end, the military intervened and succeeded in neutralizing the incident on the oil tanker. Special forces from Poole have been involved, reported Isle of Wight Radio , referring to the Special Boat Service, a special forces unit belonging to the British Navy. However, so far there has been no official confirmation of the involvement of any specific unit. Reporting from Reuters, the oil tanker named Nave Andromeda.

The British Ministry of Defense said that the entire crew and crew were declared healthy. The armed forces have taken control of the ship and seven people have been detained. Police investigations will now continue.