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Seven people have been arrested after the British armed forces stormed a tanker off the Isle of Wight following an alleged hijacking by stowaways.
The raid, likely carried out by members of the Special Boat Service (SBS), was authorized by Defense Secretary Ben Wallace and Home Secretary Priti Patel Sunday night after a tense 10-hour standoff.
Hampshire police said they were alerted to concerns about the well-being of the crew of the 228-meter-long Andromeda ship shortly after 10 a.m. Sunday as the ship was heading towards Southampton, having set sail from Lagos in Nigeria.
According to maritime tracking websites, the ship arrived at the port of Southampton early Monday morning.
The Ministry of Defense said: “In response to a request from the police, the Secretary of Defense and the Minister of the Interior authorized the personnel of the Armed Forces to board a ship in the English Channel to safeguard life and secure a ship. that he was subject to an alleged kidnapping.
“The armed forces have taken control of the ship and seven people have been arrested.
“The police investigations will now continue. Initial reports confirm that the crew is safe and sound. “
Hampshire police later said that the tanker’s 22 crew members were safe.
The SBS is the Royal Navy’s elite maritime counterterrorism unit, with most of its Royal Marine Commandos personnel who, according to the Ministry of Defense, “specialize in daring covert raids that exploit the element of surprise.”
SBS operations are highly classified and not officially confirmed, but when stowaways went berserk on a cargo ship in the Thames estuary in December 2018, the ship’s operator said they were detained after SBS personnel was airlifted to the ship.
On Sunday, The Times reported that four military helicopters, believed to have included two Merlin Mk 4s, a Wildcat and a Chinook, brought 40 people to the site of the alleged hijacking aboard the Andromeda spacecraft.
The newspaper quoted a defense source as saying that some 16 SBS members boarded the vessel backed by airborne snipers and secured it within nine minutes.
“I commend the hard work of the military and police to protect lives and secure the ship,” said Wallace.
“In dark skies and the weather turns worse, we should all be grateful for our brave staff. People are safe tonight because of your efforts. “
Ms. Patel said: “Tonight we are grateful for the swift and decisive action of our police and armed forces who were able to control this situation, ensuring the safety of all who were on board.”
Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the Commons Defense Committee, said the tanker’s boarding was a “good result.”
He told BBC News: “Seven stowaways on board who seized a ship or made the ship not in full command would have triggered a multi-agency alarm and then well-rehearsed classified protocols were put into action.”
Prior to the armed forces action, Hampshire Police said the vessel had been located about six miles off the coast of Bembridge on the Isle of Wight, adding: “Several stowaways were reported on board and they had made verbal threats towards the gang. No one has been reported injured ”.
An exclusion zone with a three-mile radius was placed around the ship, with two Coast Guard helicopters spotted circling the ship in the afternoon.
PA media
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