Storming of the mv Nave Andromeda

The 42,340 ton Liberian registered oil tanker Nave Andromeda left Lagos on 5 Oct 2020 for Southampton. On 15 Oct off Las Palmas in the Canary Islands 7 stowaways revealed themselves to the crew, hoping to be put ashore. The Spanish authorities denied the ship entry, as later, did the French authorities at St Nazaire on 20 Oct. Just off Shanklin on the Isle of Wight at 09H00 on 25 Oct 2020, the Captain made a Mayday call as the stowaways had apparently taken over the ship.

Hampshire Police were on scene by around 10H05 joined by a Coastguard helicopter around 15H45 and the Royal Navy began to move resources and assets forward to RMB Poole, in case they were going to be called on by the Police.

A 3 mile exclusion zone was declared around the ship and Police and Coastguard helicopters kept the situation under surveillance.

With two 815 NAS Wildcats overhead and HMS Richmond standing by, two 7 Squadron Chinooks carried a boarding party to the ship. The stowaways were detained, the ship returned to the control of the Captain and the ship put into Southampton.

The UK Crown Prosecution Service later dropped the charges against the stowaways, for lack of evidence and/or intent to hijack.