Breaking: Stowaway Incident on Oil Tanker Nave Andromeda Off England

FILE PHOTO: The Liberian-flagged MT Nave Andromeda. Photo: MarineTraffic.com/Robert Weber

Update: UK Special Forces Gain Control of Nave Andromeda; Seven Arrested

By Henry Nicholls SOUTHAMPTON, England, Oct 25 (Reuters) – British police said on Sunday they were dealing with an incident aboard an oil tanker near the coast of the Isle of Wight, an island off the southern coast of England, and British media said a small number of stowaways had been found.

Two sources with knowledge of the situation said the vessel was the tanker Nave Andromeda.

ITV reported military assistance had been requested, without citing sources. Sky News said seven stowaways had been found on board. The BBC cited lawyers for the ship’s owners as saying it was “100% not a hijacking.” The ship’s operators and owners could not immediately be reached by Reuters for comment.

Police did not immediately confirm details of the incident to Reuters. Britain’s interior ministry, which is responsible for border control, did not have any immediate comment.

The local police force said in a statement: “We are aware and dealing with an ongoing incident on board a vessel which is situated south of the Isle of Wight.”

The coastguard agency said search and rescue helicopters were attending the incident but did not give details.

Refinitiv vessel tracking data showed the Liberia-flagged Nave Andromeda had been expected to arrive in the English port of Southampton at 1030 GMT on Sunday. The vessel had departed from Lagos, Nigeria, the data showed.

The Nave Andromeda’s registered owner is Folegandros Shipping Corp, and the vessel is managed by Greek shipping company Navios Tankers Management Inc., according to Refinitiv.

A spokesperson for the UK Chamber of Shipping 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.” Lawmaker Bob Seely, who represents the Isle of Wight constituency closest to the vessel, told Sky News he expected the incident to be handled by marine counter-terrorism forces, but that it was too early to call it a hijacking.

In December 2018, British forces stormed an Italian cargo ship and regained control after stowaways threatened crew as it sailed close to the southeast coast. (Reporting by Henry Nicholls Additional reporting by William James, Guy Faulconbridge and Jonathan Saul Editing by Catherine Evans, Raissa Kasolowsky, Frances Kerry and Nick Macfie)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020.

Updates:

#HIJACK attempt: Tanker involved is the NAVE ANDROMEDA, Liberian-flag IMO 9580405, 75,000 DWT, owned in Greece. UK #Navy SBS Special Boat Service team has been activated, a UK Coast Guard helo is in the area. Scene is very near the UK's biggest #naval base https://t.co/dxTZ4T4LFA pic.twitter.com/pbEdmYeJwO

— Chris Cavas (@CavasShips) October 25, 2020

Video from Isle of Wight Radio

The empty Panamax tanker NAVE ANDROMEDA (9580405) is being circled by a UK Search & Rescue helicopter after a purported hijacking attempt. The vessel has made three stops in anchorages between Lagos, Nigeria and the UK. #OOTT @MarineTraffic @GlobalDryad https://t.co/tNoXb8wo64 pic.twitter.com/cYWwsCo5fX

— TankerTrackers.com, Inc.??? (@TankerTrackers) October 25, 2020

From BBC News journalist Nick Johnson:

Lawyer for the owners of Nave Andromeda tells me this is '100% not a hijacking'… Says it's been known there were 'stowaways' on board 'for a few days' #IsleofWight https://t.co/A9XWIi5n1i

— Nick Johnson (@NickJBBC) October 25, 2020

Some video of the ship Nave Andromeda at the center of the major incident off the Isle of Wight this evening @SkyNewsBreak @SkyNews @BBCBreaking @BBCNews @islandecho @iwightradio @iwcponline @itvnews @DailyMailUK @DailyMirror pic.twitter.com/4b9hsXqhqd

— Ben Rue Photography (@PhotographyRue) October 25, 2020