Essex police say no one injured in operation to retake vessel stuck in Thames estuary

Police have rescued a ship that had been stuck for hours in the Thames estuary after stowaways allegedly threatened its crew.

Essex police said four men had been detained under the Immigration Act after the vessel was boarded at around 11pm and taken to the port of Tilbury. It arrived at just after 4.20am on Saturday.

The incident involved the 71,000-tonne Italian vessel, the Grande Tema, which left Lagos, Nigeria, on 10 December and was off the coast of Margate when the men launched their alleged assault on the crew of the 236-metre long cargo ship.

Officers boarded the vessel, which is operated by Grimaldi Lines, and detained the four stowaways. No one aboard the vessel was injured. The Sun reported that special forces from the navy had led the operation.

Twenty-five Special Boat Service (SBS) operatives fast-roped from helicopters on to the ship in an operation lasting less than half an hour, according to reports.

Essex police said: “We have now secured a vessel in the Thames Estuary. Four men have been detained under the Immigration Act. The vessel was boarded and secured shortly after 11pm on Friday 21 December and will now be brought back safely into dock at the port of Tilbury.”

Paul Kyprianou, a spokesman for Grimaldi Lines, said earlier: “The crew found four stowaways four days ago when the vessel was in navigation bound for Tilbury. They were put in a cabin. They were locked in there. They were given accommodation and food as is required under international regulations.

“This morning they managed to force the door and they got some iron bars and they started threatening the crew, by requesting the master to get close to the shore. And what we understand is that they wanted to jump and reach the coast of the UK.

“The crew are now locked in the bridge. The vessel is under control. But you have four stowaways who are hanging around with some iron bars. There’s been no violence, no clashes, no injuries.”

The ship had been making a routine 4,400-mile, 11-day trip from Lagos, the most populous city in Africa. It has been assumed that the stowaways boarded there or during three stops on the west African coast.