Police rush to oil tanker off Isle of Wight after ‘stowaways attempt to hijack ship’ headed to Southampton from Nigeria
- Police called after ‘security incident’ on Nave Andromeda off Isle of Wight today
- Restriction zone of five nautical miles now in place around vessel this afternoon
- The ship is reportedly Libyan-registered and was set to dock in Southampton
Police are dealing with a ‘security incident’ on an oil tanker near to the Isle of Wight, according to reports.
Officers and coastguard crews were called after a group of stowaways were reportedly attempted to hijack the Libyan-registered ship as it made its way to Southampton.
Crew members are reportedly sheltering on the ship, named the Nave Andromeda – a crude oil tanker which is currently south of Sandown, according to Isle of Wight Radio.
A may day call was made at 9am today.
Officers and coastguard crews were called after a group of stowaways were reportedly discovered on a Libyan-registered ship as it made its way to Southampton
Crew members are reportedly sheltering on the ship, named the Nave Andromeda -ship crude oil tanker which is currently south of Sandown, according to Isle of Wight Radio
A restriction zone of five nautical miles is now in place around the vessel, according to Sky News, while a coastguard helicopter is also circling the ship, as seen on Flight Tracker.
The 748-foot vessel has made a number of zig-zags around the area just off the eastern side of the Isle of Wight, according to Ship Tracker.
The ship has been carrying 42,000 tonnes of crude oil and left Nigeria on October 6.
A Hampshire police spokesman said: ‘We are aware and dealing with an ongoing incident on board a vessel which is situated south of the Isle of Wight.
A police officer observes Nave Andromeda, which is anchored off the east coast of the island following reports of the vessel being seized by hijackers earleir today
A restriction zone of five nautical miles is now in place around the vessel, while a coastguard helicopter is also circling the ship, according to Sky News
‘We will provide you with further updates when we are in a position to do so.’
A spokeswoman for Associated British Ports (ABP), which runs Southampton port, said they had not had any contact with the vessel and they had no further comment.
The Coastguard said: ‘We are currently assisting Hampshire Constabulary with an incident on board a vessel situated off the Isle of Wight.
‘The search and rescue helicopters from Lee on Solent and Lydd are in attendance.’