[ad_1]
The operation was a textbook.
Sixteen SBS commandos boarded the ship., some rapidly descending from Merlin and Wildcat helicopters hovering over the tanker’s deck, others abseiling down the side from inflatable ribs floating in the sewage below.
They had been dropped from a Chinook helicopter around the headland Sunday afternoon, waiting for darkness to fall and the green light to go out.
The SBS (Special Boat Service) is based off the Poole coast. These waters are your training ground, you know them like the back of your hand.
Some of the SBS quickly deviated from a Merlin, a technique displayed here by a Marine. File Photo: Royal Navy
Quick Google searches turn up videos of commandos scaling ferries and cruises across the Channel for practice; As a location for such an operation, this could not have been more convenient.
The Andromeda Ship had been idle a few miles off the coast of the Isle of Wight since midmorning.
The ship’s captain had some control and was able to send information about the seven hijackers to the command teams ashore. That was vital for SBS to know who they were up against.
The operation to recover the vessel was quick and clinical. File Image: Marinetraffic.com/Arthur George Terry
The hostile takeover of a large tanker is fraught with risks.
Sneaking up on a lone ship on the high seas is difficult. It must be fast.
Modern tankers are often huge ships, made up of a myriad of corridors and corridors, hidden between cargo or equipment. The bridge is the main objective; remove it and you will regain control of the ship.
It is the second SBS mission of its kind in British waters in just a few years.
Four Nigerian men were captured when special forces raided a cargo ship in the Thames estuary in 2018. It was another flawless operation.
The brave work of the SBS, long in the shadow of its Hereford cousins the SAS, is building a fearsome global reputation.
