Tanker ‘hijackers’ may face a life behind bars
Seven stowaways detained by special forces held for ‘seizing ship’
SEVEN stowaways seized in a daring operation by special forces were last night facing lengthy jail terms for hijacking an oil tanker.
The suspects were detained under maritime laws which carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
They had allegedly threatened the 22-man crew of the 42,000-ton Nave Andromeda which was heading to Southampton from Lagos in Nigeria.
Special Boat Service commandos stormed the tanker off the Isle of Wight on Sunday evening after the ship’s terrified captain radioed for help.
The unnamed mariner said in broken English on an open radio channel: ‘I try to keep them calm but I need immediately, immediately agency assistance.’
He added that two of the intruders were on the starboard side near the bridge, although had not managed to gain access.
In other radio messages the captain is reported to have said he feared for his life, and those of his crew.
The Greek- owned tanker, that flies the Liberian flag, had left Lagos on October 5, where the stowaways ‘illegally boarded’ the vessel, a spokesman for operator Navios
‘Elite troops descended by ropes’
Tanker Management said. The SBS operation was authorised by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Home Secretary Priti Patel. A source close to the Home Secretary said the 45 minutes during which the situation was resolved ‘felt like 45 hours’.
The heavily-armed troops descended on to the tanker by rope from four Royal Navy helicopters after nightfall.
The elite soldiers quickly rounded up the suspected hijackers and ended their mission after just nine minutes.
The seven suspected hijackers seized on Sunday night were last night being questioned in separate police stations across Hampshire after the 750ft tanker moored at Southampton.
A spokesman for Hampshire Police said: ‘It was reported that a number of stowaways were on board, and they had made threats towards the crew.’
He added: ‘All 22 crew members are safe and well and the vessel is now alongside i n the port of Southampton. Investigators are speaking to the crew members to establish the exact circumstances of what happened.’
Bob Sanguinetti, chief executive of the UK Chamber of Shipping, said: ‘I think this has got all the hallmarks of a situation where a number of stowaways are seeking political asylum, presumably in the UK. At some stage they got aggressive. Clearly no one knew at the time how aggressive they were, whether they were armed or not and what their motives were.
‘In the discussions taking place between the ship’s captain and the authorities in the UK – both police and the military – they will have decided at some stage the least risky option was to board the vessel using the special forces.’
The drama echoed a previous case involving stowaways which unfolded aboard a cargo ship in the Thames Estuary in December 2018. Four Nigerians had hidden aboard the Grande Tema in Lagos, and became disruptive as the ship entered UK waters.
The four attempted to repel an SBS boarding party by threatening to infect them with HIV, but were eventually arrested and prosecuted.
At least one made ‘throat- slitting’ gestures to crew, CCTV footage played in court showed. However, after an eight week trial at the Old Bailey they were cleared of attempting to hijack the ship and convicted of affray.
Two were also found guilty of making threats to kill.
They were jailed for a combined total of seven years.
That case highlights potential difficulties in securing convictions under the hijacking legislation.