‘Armed migrants holding crew hostage on cargo ship’ in Thames estuary

Joe Roberts
Friday 21 Dec 2018 4:24 pm

A group of stowaway migrants are allegedly threatening crew on a cargo ship with iron bars. Essex police said they have received no reports of anyone at risk, but a spokesman for the ship company says four armed stowaways have escaped and are threatening staff. The ‘ongoing incident’ is happening on an Italian vessel called the Grande Tema, which is currently off the coast of Margate in Kent.

The ship reportedly set off from Lagos in Nigeria last Monday. A Grimaldi Lines spokesman said: ‘Four stowaways have escaped and are threatening staff with iron bars on board the Grande Tema cargo ship close to the Kent border in the Thames estuary.’ Essex Police said they are continuing to deal with the ‘complex’ situation close to the Kent border. ‘This follows a call relating to the safety of crew on board at around 9.15am today, Friday, December 21,’ the force said.

‘We have received no reports that anyone has been harmed and don’t believe they are at risk. We are not currently treating this as either a hostage, piracy or terror related incident. ‘We are working closely with our partners to resolve this incident as quick as possible. ‘We are not in a position to provide any details about who is on board at this stage.’

According to monitoring site Marine Traffic, the Grande Tema appears to be going around in circles off the Kent coast. The Dover Shipping Strait Facebook page posted earlier: ‘BREAKING: Piracy in the Thames Estuary…. ‘Reports coming in of stowaways aboard Grande Tema threatening the crew. Incident is ongoing.’

Nige Scutt runs the page and told The Sun: ‘I had calls from two separate sources. One said it was stowaways on board. ‘But the other said that stowaways had come out and made their presence known and have taken over areas of the ship or the vessel itself and threatened the crew in the process. ‘If that is the case then that is piracy. You normally hear of this off the Horn of Africa – not the Thames Estuary.’

Crew holed up on Thames ship as migrants threaten staff

17:07, UK, Friday 21 December 2018

A group of migrants has been found on a cargo container ship in the Thames Estuary and is threatening the crew, demanding to be taken to the coast.

Authorities are dealing with the ongoing incident where the group was discovered stowed away on the 236-metre long cargo ship, the Grande Tema.

An official source has told Sky News that authorities are currently trying to resolve the situation, which has been ongoing for several hours.

The vessel had been travelling eastwards through the English Channel when the migrants were discovered this morning.

Maritime navigational tracking sites show the vessel circling around a position north east of Margate.

Police say officers are dealing with the incident and it is not being treated as a "hostage, piracy or terror-related incident".

An Essex Police statement said: "We continue to deal with a complex incident on board a vessel that is in the Thames Estuary close to the Essex and Kent borders.

"This follows a call relating to the safety of crew on board at around 9.15am today, Friday, December 21.

"We have received no reports that anyone has been harmed and don't believe they are at risk. We are not treating this as either a hostage, piracy or terror related incident.

"We are working closely with our partners to resolve this incident as quick as possible.

deepwater:
Nairalanders, look closely at the news being reported all over the world.

Nobody mentioned Afonja, Igbo, cone head, aboki, cattleman what have you...

Simply put, NIgerians!

That is who you are. Criminals..

WaffenSS:


The world may think it's Nigerians

But we all know who exactly is on that ship

deepwater:


Son, come closely lemme give to you an important life lesson.
Hold your ears and listen carefully. No Igbo man would ever dream of being a stowaway aboard any ship in 2018.
Bad as e bad, them go sell their land and shop for alaba enter Jand by force.
Now listen well again, na your tribes men dey do stevedoring for Tin Can wey this particular ship berth all the time. If you they enter Liverpool steady u wont miss the site of your tribesmen running around this particular ship any time she comes alongside close to the berth towards TinCan 1st gate

deepwater:


Son, come closely lemme give to you an important life lesson.
Hold your ears and listen carefully. No Igbo man would ever dream of being a stowaway aboard any ship in 2018.
Bad as e bad, them go sell their land and shop for alaba enter Jand by force.
Now listen well again, na your tribes men dey do stevedoring for Tin Can wey this particular ship berth all the time. If you they enter Liverpool steady u wont miss the site of your tribesmen running around this particular ship any time she comes alongside close to the berth towards TinCan 1st gate