Isle of Wight incident: what happened as stowaways attempted to hijack an oil tanker - and how the Special Boat Service intervened

Priti Patel praised the efforts of the Armed Forces “who were able to bring this situation under control, guaranteeing the safety of all those on board”

The 228-metre, Liberian-registered oil tanker was carrying oil from Nigeria to the port of Southampton when it was subjected to a suspect hijacking by stowaways off the coast of the Isle of Wight on the South Coast of the British Isles (Getty Images)

Seven people have been arrested after a tanker off the coast of the Isle of Wight was the subject of a suspected hijacking attempt.

Under the cover of darkness 16 members of the Special Boat Service thwarted the attempt, following a tense ten-hour stand-off.

The Ministry of Defence said: “In response to a police request, the Defence Secretary and Home Secretary authorised Armed Forces personnel to board a ship in the English Channel to safeguard life and secure a ship that was subject to suspected hijacking.

“Armed forces have gained control of the ship and seven individuals have been detained.

“Police investigations will now continue. Initial reports confirm the crew are safe and well.”

What happened?

Hampshire Police said they were alerted to concerns over the welfare of the crew of the 228-metre long Nave Andromeda soon after 10am on Sunday as the ship headed towards Southampton, having set sail from Lagos in Nigeria.

Hampshire Police said the vessel had been located around six miles off the coast of Bembridge on the Isle of Wight, adding: “It was reported that a number of stowaways were on board, and they had made verbal threats towards the crew. No one has been reported injured.”

An exclusion zone with a three mile radius was placed around the vessel, with two coastguard helicopters spotted circling the ship in the afternoon.

On Sunday, The Times reported four military helicopters – thought to have included two Merlin Mk 4s, a Wildcat and a Chinook – took 40 personnel to the scene of the suspected hijack aboard the Nave Andromeda.

The newspaper quoted a defence source as saying about 16 members of the SBS boarded the vessel backed by airborne snipers and secured it in nine minutes.

According to maritime tracking websites, the ship reached port in Southampton early on Monday morning.

Who was responsible?

On Monday it was revealed that seven Nigerian stowaways had been detained following the attempted hijacking.

Bob Sanguinetti, chief executive of the UK Chamber of Shipping said the stowaways are likely to have boarded the ship before it departed Nigeria but it is not yet known when they were discovered by the crew.

“It might have been entirely friendly for a number of days with the crew looking after the stowaways,” he said.

“But clearly, as the ship got closer to the UK, the stowaways got a bit more agitated and aggressive and that’s when the captain would’ve felt the crew of the ship were being threatened.”

He added: “I think what’s heartening from all of this is that the UK has sent a very, very clear message that ships and seafarers will not be allowed to get caught up in crises of asylum seekers or economic migrants.”

What has Priti Patel said?

Following the incident, Home Secretary Priti Patel, who, along with Defence Secretary Ben Wallace approved the operation, praised the efforts of the armed forces.

She said: “Tonight we are thankful for the quick and decisive action of our police and armed forces who were able to bring this situation under control, guaranteeing the safety of all those on board.”