British police are investigating an undisclosed incident aboard an oil tanker in the English Channel, the AP reports. The incident reportedly took place aboard the Libyan-registered oil tanker Nave Andromeda south of Sandown on Isle of Wight, according to Isle of Wight Radio. "We are aware and dealing with an ongoing incident on board a vessel which is situated south of the Isle of Wight,'' Hampshire police said in a statement. "We will provide you with further updates when we are in a position to do so." The 228-meter tanker left Lagos, Nigeria, on Oct. 6 and been expected to dock in Southampton, England, at 10.30am Sunday, according to ship tracking website MarineTraffic.com.
Bob Seely, a local lawmaker, indicated that the tanker's captain may have lost control of the Nave Andromeda: "Isle of Wight Radio are reporting—and they've got very good contacts in the coast guard—that 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," Seely told Sky News, per
CNN. Search and rescue helicopters from Lee-on-Solent and Lydd have been dispatched to the area, the coast guard said, adding that it was helping the Hampshire police. Relying on an unnamed source, the
BBC reports that Andromeda crew knew about stowaways on board, but the stowaways became violent and the crew took refuge in the ship's citadel.
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