Military assistance sought to deal with oil tanker off Isle of Wight

MILITARY assistance has been sought by police to deal with the oil tanker incident off the coast of the Isle of Wight.

According to the coastguard, a mayday call was made at around 9am on Sunday, October 25 as crew members reportedly sheltered in a safe room when ‘Nigerian stowaways’ became violent.

A source on the Isle of Wight claimed during a mayday call this morning the captain told an operator ‘I’m trying to keep them calm but please send help.’

Armed units have set up base at the dockyard in Portsmouth, and according to Isle of Wight Radio, lights on the ship, which had been illuminated earlier, can no longer be seen.

It was originally suggested that the tanker had been hijacked, but lawyers representing the owners of the vessel, which had come from Nigeria, told the BBC the incident was ‘100 per cent not a hijacking’.

Speaking about the incident to Sky News, MP for the Isle of Wight, Bob Seely, said marine counter-terrorism forces will likely be called in.

He said: “Despite being told not to drop anchor, the skipper has dropped anchor and the ship may be now under the control of stowaways on the ship.”

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