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 discovered on the ship as it made its way to Southampton.
Crew members are reportedly sheltering on the ship, named the Nave Andromeda – a Libyan-registered ship.
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.
The vessel had made a number of zig-zags around the area just off the Isle of Wight, according to Marine Traffic.
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.
‘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.
More to follow…