Police rush to oil tanker off Isle of Wight after ‘stowaways discovered’
Mayday alert after ‘seven stowaways’ are discovered aboard an oil tanker off the coast of the Isle of Wight as it heads to Southampton from Nigeria – with crew forced to ‘hide in a safe room’ as fears of a hijacking are dismissed
- Police called after ‘security incident’ on a crude oil tanker called the Nave Andromeda off Isle of Wight today
- Restriction zone of five nautical miles now in place around vessel, which last sailed from Nigeria on October 6
- The ship is reportedly Liberian-registered and set to dock in Southampton at around 10.30am this morning
A major incident is today underway after a group of stowaways were discovered hidden aboard an oil tanker as it headed into Southampton, according to reports.
Police are currently dealing with the ‘security incident’, which reportedly involves a group of ‘at least’ seven stowaways on a Liberian-registered oil tanker near to the Isle of Wight.
A mayday call was made at around 9am today as crew members reportedly sought shelter in a safe room on the vessel, named the Nave Andromeda, which was due to arrive at Southampton at 10.30am.
Initial reports suggested that the tanker had been hijacked, but lawyers representing the owners of the vessel, which had come from Nigeria, today told the BBC the incident was ‘100 per cent not a hijacking’.
The crude oil tanker is currently to the south of Bembridge. Two coastguard helicopters have been scrambled to the scene and were spotted circling the ship on Sunday afternoon, and a five-mile exclusion zone was set up in the area south of Sandown.
Home Secretary Priti Patel is being kept up-to-date on the incident, according to Sky News. While police and coastguard are involved, a Ministry of Defence spokesman said there was no military involvement.
The vessel is believed to be carrying 42,000 tons of crude oil, and is likely to have around 15 to 20 crew on board.
Armed units are now setting up base at the Historic Dockyard in Portsmouth, according to Isle of Wight Radio. The outlet also reported that the Special Boat Service have been briefed and are ‘standing by’.
Officers and coastguard crews were called after a group of stowaways were reportedly discovered on a Liberian-registered ship as it made its way to Southampton
The Nave Andromeda is a crude oil tanker which carries the Liberian flag. The tanker was seen taking a ziz-zag type path near to the Isle of Wight today
The vessel was due to be heading to Southampton this morning (pictured left). A more zoomed in version (right) shows how the ship has made a number of zig-zag movements today
A coastguard helicopter been seen circling the Nave Andromeda near to the Isle of Wight today following reports of an incident
Crew members are reportedly sheltering on the ship, named the Nave Andromeda – a crude oil tanker which is currently south of Bembridge, according to Isle of Wight Radio
Reports have indicated that seven stowaways may have boarded in Nigeria, though this remains unconfirmed.
One coastguard helicopter could be seen circling the tanker, as viewed on Plane Finder, while the 748-foot vessel has made a number of zig-zags in the area, according to Marine Traffic.
A Metropolitan Police helicopter is understood to now be circling the scene to monitor the incident.
A Hampshire police spokesman said: ‘We are aware and dealing with an ongoing incident on board a vessel which is situated south of the Isle of Wight.
‘We will provide you with further updates when we are in a position to do so.’
A spokeswoman for Associated British Ports (ABP), which runs Southampton port, said they had not had any contact with the vessel and they had no further comment.
The Coastguard said: ‘We are currently assisting Hampshire Constabulary with an incident on board a vessel situated off the Isle of Wight.
A police officer observes Nave Andromeda, which is anchored off the east coast of the island following reports of the vessel being seized by hijackers earleir today
A restriction zone of five nautical miles is now in place around the vessel, while a coastguard helicopter is also circling the ship, according to Sky News
‘The search and rescue helicopters from Lee on Solent and Lydd are in attendance.’
The incident will likely lead to involvement from the Royal Navy and the Special Boat Service.
The Nave Andromeda was built in 2011 and weighs 42,338 tonnes. It was last known to be docked in Lagos, Nigeria on October 6. Though the ship is registered in Liberia, it is understood the ship is Greek-owned.
Speaking about the incident to Sky News today, Conservative MP for the Isle of Wight, Bob Seely, said marine counter-terrorism forces will likely be called in, while a COBR meeting is likely to be held, or has been already.
He said: ‘Despite being told not to drop anchor, the skipper has dropped anchor and the ship may be now under the control of stowaways on the ship.
‘They will be looking at the ship’s registration, who’s on it, what it is carrying, how many stowaways there are, can they get in contact with the crew if they can’t get in contact with the skipper.’
He said authorities are also likely to be planning how to get onto the ship.
Meanwhile, Southampton Itchen MP Royston Smith said the incident was ‘shocking’.
The Conservative MP told the Daily Echo: ‘I know our emergency services will be handling this in the professional way they always do and my thoughts are with those crew members who are on the ship.
‘I hope this situation is brought to a safe and successful conclusion as quickly as possible.’
Mick Cash, general secretary of the maritime union RMT, urged the government to do ‘all it can to prevent harm coming to crew or anyone else’.
He said: ‘This is a troubling incident which must not escalate to further jeopardise crew welfare or maritime safety in what is an extremely busy area for merchant shipping.
‘We must call on all parties, including the Greek shipowner to take action to resolve this incident safely and quickly.’
A UK Chamber of Shipping spokesperson said: ‘We are aware of an incident onboard the Nave Andromeda off the Isle of Wight and are in contact with the relevant authorities.
‘We believe it is likely to be related to stowaways onboard but are awaiting more information.’
The incident comes after an incident in which a group of stowaway ran amok on a cargo ship in the Thames Estuary in December 2018.
The men, from Nigeria and Liberia, waved metal poles and threw faeces and urine after being found hiding on the vessel, which was bound for Tilbury docks in Essex.
The group demanded to be dropped off in Britain. They were arrested and jailed in January for affray offences following a trial at the Old Bailey in January.
Today’s incident is near to the location where the 52,000 ton cargo ship the Hoegh Osaka was deliberately grounded to prevent it from capsizing after it began listing as it left port.
The vessel, which was carrying 1,400 cars, including Rolls Royces and Bentleys, became grounded on Bramble Bank in the Solent in January 2015, forcing emergency services to rescue all 25 crew members on board.
