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SOUTHAMPTON: British special forces stormed a Greek-operated tanker in the English Channel on Sunday (October 25) to fight control of the ship by seven stowaways who had threatened the crew in an alleged hijacking.
Troops from the Special Boat Service, a navy special forces unit whose headquarters was a few miles from where the boat began to show signs of danger, boarded the Andromeda Ship near the Isle of Wight in southern England. .
Defense Secretary Ben Wallace and Interior Minister Priti Patel authorized the armed forces to board the ship “to safeguard life and secure a ship that was the subject of an alleged hijacking,” the Defense Ministry said.
“The armed forces have taken control of the ship and seven people have been detained,” the ministry said. “Initial reports confirm that the crew is safe and sound.”
The Defense Ministry refused to confirm or deny SBS involvement, in line with the British government’s policy of not commenting on special forces operations.
But a source with knowledge of the matter said the SBS was involved. SBS operations are usually classified. Former Royal Navy war officer Chris Parry said the SBS had been involved.
The navy’s Special Boat Service, considered a sister unit to the Special Air Service Regiment (SAS), is one of Britain’s most secretive special forces units.
An elite maritime counterterrorism unit, the SBS traces its history back to World War II and has been involved in many of the conflicts of the last 70 years, including Afghanistan and Iraq.
The closest equivalent of the SBS in the United States is SEAL Team Six, or Task Force Blue.
It was not immediately clear where the stowaways were from or what their intentions were.
Thousands of illegal economic migrants and would-be asylum seekers have attempted to cross the English Channel from France to reach British shores this year, often paying human smugglers to help them traverse one of the busiest shipping lanes. the world in overloaded rubber boats.
Police said the crew had been threatened by stowaways and that they were working with the Coast Guard and border forces to resolve the situation.
“They had made verbal threats to the crew. No one was reported injured,” a police spokesman said.
Refinitiv ship tracking data showed that the Liberian-flagged Ship Andromeda was expected to arrive in the English port of Southampton at 1030 GMT on Sunday. The ship had departed from Lagos, Nigeria, the data showed.
Nave Andromeda’s registered owner is Folegandros Shipping Corp, and the ship is managed by Greek shipping company Navios Tankers Management Inc., according to Refinitiv.
In December 2018, British forces stormed an Italian cargo ship and regained control after stowaways threatened the crew while sailing near the southeast coast.
