Nave Andromeda incident

Last updated

Nave Andromeda incident
Time25 October 2020
Location English Channel, off the coast of the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom
Also known asNave Andromeda hijacking
Type Stowaway incident
Participants
OutcomeSeven stowaways detained

On 25 October 2020, the Liberian-flagged crude oil tanker Nave Andromeda issued a distress call while in the English Channel just off the coast of the Isle of Wight, in response to the presence of seven stowaways who had boarded the ship in Lagos, Nigeria. Hampshire Constabulary responded to the call, and the British maritime special forces unit, the Special Boat Service, boarded the vessel and detained the stowaways. Two of the stowaways were subsequently charged with conduct endangering ships, though the charges were later dropped after the Crown Prosecution Service found insufficient evidence that the ship or crew were threatened, or that the men had intended to hijack the ship.

Contents

Summary

Preceding events

On 5 October 2020, Nave Andromeda, a 228-metre-long (748 ft) crude oil tanker registered in Liberia, departed Lagos, Nigeria en route to Southampton, England. [1] Its captain and senior officers were Greek, while the remainder of its 22 crew members were predominantly Filipino. [2] Seven stowaways had boarded the ship in Lagos, climbing into its rudder stock. [2] In a June 2022 interview, two of the stowaways said they had been escaping gang violence in Nigeria. [2] On 15 October 2020, at the Port of Las Palmas, the seven men left the rudder stock, hoping to be taken to land, but were instead brought onto the Nave Andromeda's deck as Spanish authorities denied the ship permission to dock. [2] They were then given clean clothes, food and water, and housed in a locked cabin for five days, during which they were fed regularly and escorted onto the deck for fresh air. [2] On 16 October, the ship again set sail, and arrived at Saint-Nazaire, France, on 20 October. [2] Permission to dock was again denied after the captain informed port officials of the stowaways' presence. [2] Due to diminishing supplies, relations between the stowaways and crew became strained but remained cordial. [2] On 24 October, the ship's officers met with officials from its owners, Navios Tankers Management. [2] The following morning, the crew were told to shelter in the ship's citadel. [2]

Incident

The Nave Andromeda issued a mayday call at around 9:00 am on 25 October 2020, whilst the ship was off the coast of the Isle of Wight in the English Channel, to which Hampshire Constabulary responded at 10:04 am with support from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and UK Border Force. [3] [4] [5] In the distress call, the ship's captain said seven stowaways had escaped a cabin where they had been locked, and that most of the 22 crew members had been instructed to lock themselves in the ship's citadel. [2] The distress call did not use the word "hijacking". [2] The authorities did not believe the incident was terror-related or related to weapons of mass destruction, but the ship's erratic movements raised concern for the welfare of the crew. [6] Defence Secretary Ben Wallace described being informed that the stowaways were "threatening to do something with the ship", which constituted a threat to life that went beyond the capacities of Hampshire Constabulary. [5] The Crown Prosecution Service later concluded that evidence failed to show that the ship or crew had been threatened. [7] The stowaways later said they had been alarmed by the lack of sounds of activity on the ship as well as the stoppage of meals, and their observation that the vessel was drifting, and therefore broke out of the cabin after several hours due to fears the ship had been abandoned. [2] Crew members' accounts suggested that, while the distress call said the stowaways had broken out of their cabin, in reality they only did so hours after the call was made. [2]

The crew were confined to the citadel for approximately 10 hours, whilst the ship was watched closely by police and coastguard helicopters. [8] [9] A three-mile exclusion zone around the ship was established. [2] Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboats were also dispatched from Selsey and Bembridge. [10] Isle of Wight Radio began reporting on what it described as an attempted hijacking around midday, and Hampshire Constabulary acknowledged an "ongoing incident". [2] By 3:45 pm, Coastguard helicopters were circling over the ship. [2]

Special Boat Service boarding

On the evening of 25 October 2020, Hampshire Constabulary made a formal request for military support to help regain control of the ship. [6] This request was approved by the Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace and Home Secretary Priti Patel. [6] At around 7:30 pm, 40 military personnel were deployed to the scene via a Chinook helicopter, including members of the maritime special forces unit, the Special Boat Service (SBS). [2] [11] Additionally, Royal Navy mine clearance divers were also put on standby in case the ship had been mined. [12]

When night fell, 16 SBS operators boarded the ship, with some fast-roping from two Royal Navy Merlin helicopters and the others climbing up the side from rigid inflatable boats. [13] They were watched over by snipers in a Wildcat helicopter, and the Royal Navy frigate HMS Richmond was also reportedly on standby to assist. [14] The captain of the ship remained in constant communication with the authorities and turned off the ship's lights to allow the helicopters to conduct "obscurant tactics" – shining their lights so as to disorient the stowaways. [15] In just nine minutes, the 10-hour stand-off came to an end, with the stowaways detained and the ship secured. [2] The stowaways did not resist. [2] The Nave Andromeda was brought into the dock at the Port of Southampton. [2] Despite the darkness of the night, the operation was observable from the shores of Ventnor. [16]

The stowaways were arrested by Hampshire Police "on suspicion of seizing or exercising control of a ship by use of threats or force". [17] They were held at Southampton Central police station, then transferred to Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre. [2] The Nave Andromeda's captain and crew were questioned by police while the ship sat in port. [2] After several days, the ship continued on its voyage to Russia. [2]

Aftermath

Following the incident, Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised the police and armed forces, stating: "Both police and armed forces did a fantastic job and I thank them very, very much for what they did to keep our shores safe". [18] The Home Secretary Priti Patel stated: "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". [18] Navios Tankers Management thanked the UK authorities for their "timely and professional response". [5] Lawyers for the ship's owners, however, said no hijacking had occurred. [2]

In December 2020, two of the stowaways were charged with conduct endangering ships and imprisoned on remand, while the other five remained in immigration detention. [2] They were each later placed in temporary accommodation. [2] In January 2021, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) dropped its case against the seven stowaways after evidence analysis cast doubt over whether or not the ship and its crew were in danger. The CPS stated that initial reports indicated there was a "real and imminent threat" to the vessel, however evidence – including mobile phone footage and witness accounts – did not show that the ship or its crew were threatened, nor was there any evidence to suggest the stowaways had any intention to hijack the ship. [19] The Home Office released a statement criticising the CPS's decision. [2] As of June 2022, two of the men's asylum claims were awaiting a decision. [2]

In March 2021, The Guardian published an interview with one of the stowaways, in which he said he and his fellows had not attempted to hijack the vessel, but rather had approached the ship's crew after the crew members' routine changed and they became concerned the ship was sinking. [7] Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, accused Patel and Wallace of overreacting in their response to reports from the ship, and described their behaviour as "a farce". [7]

Related Research Articles

HMS <i>Andromeda</i> (F57) Frigate of the Royal Navy

HMS Andromeda was a Leander-class frigate of the Royal Navy. She was built at HM Dockyard Portsmouth. She was launched on 24 May 1967 and commissioned into the Royal Navy on 2 December 1968. She took part in the Falklands War. She was sold to India in 1995, for use as a training ship, being renamed INS Krishna. She was finally decommissioned in May 2012.

HMS <i>Zulu</i> (F124) British Royal Navy warship

HMS Zulu (F124) was a Tribal-class frigate of the Royal Navy in service from 1964 to 1984. She was the third ship bearing the name of HMS Zulu, having been named after an ethnic group located primarily in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Zulu was built by Alexander Stephen and Sons, of Govan. She was launched on 3 July 1962 and commissioned on 17 April 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Earnest Will</span> 1987–88 U.S. military protection of Kuwaiti oil tankers during the Iran-Iraq War

Operation Earnest Will was the American military protection of Kuwaiti-owned tankers from Iranian attacks in 1987 and 1988, three years into the Tanker War phase of the Iran–Iraq War. It was the largest naval convoy operation since World War II.

The MV Braer was an oil tanker which ran aground during a storm off Shetland, Scotland, in January 1993, and nearly a week later broke up during the most intense extratropical cyclone on record for the northern Atlantic Ocean, the Braer Storm of January 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary</span> English territorial police force

The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the counties of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in South East England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service</span> Fire and rescue service in southern England

The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service (HIWFRS) is the statutory fire and rescue service for the county of Hampshire, including the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth, and the county of the Isle of Wight on the south coast of England. The service was formed on 1 April 2021 from the merger of Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service and the Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service. The service's chief fire officer is Neil Odin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea</span>

Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea affects a number of countries in West Africa as well as the wider international community. By 2011, it had become an issue of global concern. Pirates in the Gulf of Guinea are often part of heavily armed criminal enterprises, who employ violent methods to steal oil cargo. In 2012, the International Maritime Bureau, Oceans Beyond Piracy and the Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Program reported that the number of vessels attacks by West African pirates had reached a world high, with 966 seafarers attacked during the year. According to the Control Risks Group, pirate attacks in the Gulf of Guinea had by mid-November 2013 maintained a steady level of around 100 attempted hijackings in the year, a close second behind the Strait of Malacca in Southeast Asia. Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea continues to be a concern to the shipping industry, which is affected significantly. At the same time, governments in the region generally highlight that the fight against piracy requires a broad understanding of maritime security throughout the Gulf of Guinea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Action of 28 October 2007</span> US military confrontation with Somali pirates

The action of 28 October 2007 was part of Operation Enduring Freedom - Horn of Africa, the military operation defined by the United States for combating terrorism in the Horn of Africa. The incident occurred when United States Navy units acted to interdict piracy in the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special Task and Rescue</span>

The Special Task and Rescue or STAR is the maritime tactical unit of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency established to protect the local maritime assets of Malaysia.

MV <i>Moscow University</i>

Moscow University is a 56,076 GT tanker, which was ordered in 1997. The ship is notable for being captured by Somali pirates on 5 May 2010 and rescued the following day by a Russian Navy warship.

MV Qana or Gna was a Yemeni tanker, built in Japan in 1978. On 26 April 2009 it was hijacked of the coast of Yemen by Somali pirates but recovered by the Yemeni coastguard the following day. The captured Somalis were later found guilty of piracy. The ship was broken up in 2021.

On 5 May 2010, Somali pirates hijacked MV Moscow University, a Liberian-flagged Russian tanker, in the Gulf of Aden. Her crew was freed by the Russian Navy destroyer Marshal Shaposhnikov the following day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armored citadel</span> Armored areas on warships

In a warship an armored citadel is an armored box enclosing the machinery and magazine spaces formed by the armored deck, the waterline belt, and the transverse bulkheads. In many post-World War I warships, armor was concentrated in a very strong citadel, with the rest of the ship virtually unprotected, which was found to be the most effective defence; this is referred to as all or nothing armor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Dawn of Gulf of Aden</span> Military operation

Operation Dawn of Gulf of Aden was a naval operation by the Republic of Korea Navy against Somali pirates in the Arabian Sea. The operation was spurred by the pirates' seizure of the South Korean chemical tanker Samho Jewelry. In response, the South Korean government sent a destroyer and 30 naval commandos to retake the ship and rescue its crew. After trailing the tanker for several days and fighting a preliminary engagement that neutralized four of the pirates, the South Korean forces retook the ship by force on January 21, 2011, in a successful boarding action that resulted in the deaths of eight and the capture of five out of thirteen pirates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isle of Wight Constabulary</span>

The Isle of Wight Constabulary was a local police force on the Isle of Wight

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PASKAL</span> Special operations force of the Royal Malaysian Navy

The Pasukan Khas Laut, commonly abbreviated to PASKAL, is the principal special operations force of the Royal Malaysian Navy.

Operation Dawn 8: Gulf of Aden was a naval operation carried out by the Royal Malaysian Navy against pirates in the Indian Ocean on 20 January 2011. In response to the hijacking of MV Bunga Laurel, the Malaysian Shipborne Protection Team deployed an attack helicopter and 14 members of the naval counter-terrorism group PASKAL in two rigid-hulled inflatable boats to retake the vessel and rescue the crew. After one night of trailing the tanker, the Malaysian forces successfully retook the ship by force on 20 January 2011, resulting in the wounding of three and the capture of four out of 18 pirates, and all 23 vessel crewmembers rescued.

On 11 June 2015, eight Indonesian pirates hijacked the MT Orkim Harmony, a Malaysian tanker, in the South China Sea. The crew and the tanker were freed and recovered on 19 June near the southwest of Phú Quốc in Vietnam with the joint efforts of Royal Malaysian Navy, Royal Malaysian Air Force, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, Royal Australian Air Force, Vietnam Border Guard, Vietnam Coast Guard, Indonesian Navy and Royal Thai Navy.

<i>Grande Tema</i> incident

On 21 December 2018 there was an incident aboard the container ship Grande Tema in the Thames Estuary. Four stowaways, who had travelled aboard the vessel from Lagos, Nigeria, demanded to be let off near the British shore. The crew of the Grimaldi Group ship refused and, when the stowaways made threats, barricaded themselves in the bridge. The British authorities were alerted and, following failed negotiations, special forces operatives from the Special Boat Service landed on the vessel and detained the stowaways. The men were later found guilty of affray and making threats to kill and received prison sentences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petrol piracy</span> Act of Piracy relating to Petroleum

Petrol piracy also sometimes called oil piracy or petro-piracy, is an act of piracy that specifically involves petroleum resources, or their transportation, consumption, and regulation. It should not to be confused with the term oil war, as although both involve petroleum, petrol piracy always involves at least one of the aggressors being ship or boat-borne. Although it may seem not as prevalent in today's modern society due to plummeting oil prices and lower attack rates, a number of specific incidents have still occurred in-addition to the fact that, since the start of COVID-19 there has been an unprecedented resurgence in piracy incidents. In contrast to traditional piracy, petroleum ships are generally targeted over merchant, as it serves as a means to fight back against 'resource control' within the region.

References

  1. ↑ Mee, Emily (26 October 2020). "Isle of Wight: Police ask for military help over stowaways security incident on tanker". Sky News . Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Shackle, Samira (9 June 2022). "Seven stowaways and a hijacked oil tanker: the strange case of the Nave Andromeda". The Guardian.
  3. ↑ Michelle Wiese, Bockmann (27 October 2020). "France denied tanker request to disembark stowaways". Lloyd's List. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  4. ↑ Roach, April (25 October 2020). "Isle of Wight: Police request military assistance after stowaways 'threaten' crew of oil tanker". Evening Standard . Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 "Tanker stowaways: Seven men arrested over ship's 'hijacking'". BBC News . 26 October 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 Sabbagh, Dan (25 October 2020). "Stowaways held as special forces gain control of oil tanker off Isle of Wight". The Guardian . Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 Taylor, Diane; Sabbagh, Dan (21 March 2021). "Stowaway's story raises questions about Nave Andromeda incident". The Guardian . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  8. ↑ Devereux, Helen (27 October 2020). "The reality of life for seafarers like those crewing the 'hijacked' tanker Nave Andromeda". The Conversation. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  9. ↑ Cook, Joe (25 October 2020). "Special forces storm tanker to end suspected hijacking off Isle of Wight". LBC News. Global. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  10. ↑ "Bembridge RNLI's All-Weather Tamar Lifeboat launched to provide safety cover". RNLI. 25 October 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  11. ↑ Humphries, Will (26 October 2020). "Nave Andromeda: Violence erupted after tanker crew said they would return stowaways". The Times . Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  12. ↑ Gardner, Frank (26 October 2020). "Tanker stowaways: 'Hijacking' ends after special forces storm ship". BBC News . Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  13. ↑ Bunkall, Alistair (26 October 2020). "Over in minutes: Special Boat Service's 'textbook' raid shows why they have fearsome reputation". Sky News . Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  14. ↑ Fisher, Lucy (26 October 2020). "Nave Andromeda: Special forces storm oil tanker in stowaway drama off Isle of Wight". The Times. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  15. ↑ Newdick, Thomas (26 October 2020). "This Is The Elite Unit That Raided The Tanker Threatened By Stowaways Off The UK Coast". The Drive. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  16. ↑ Perry, Sally (26 October 2020). "The Nave Andromeda – involved in stowaway standoff close to the Isle of Wight – now in Southampton". On The Wight. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  17. ↑ Bashir, Nada; Rahim, Zamira (26 October 2020). "British forces storm oil tanker after suspected hijack attempt off Isle of Wight". CNN . Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  18. 1 2 "Seven stowaways arrested on suspicion of taking control of ship by 'threats or force'". Sky News . 26 October 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  19. ↑ "Isle of Wight oil tanker 'hijacking' case dropped against seven men". BBC News . 8 January 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.