Non-motoring > Ship "Hi-Jack" Last Year Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Bromptonaut Replies: 6
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New Sun 21 Mar 21 15:34 
 Ship "Hi-Jack" Last Year - Bromptonaut
Others may also recall events last September when the Special Boat Service were used to end the purported hi-jacking of a ship in the Channel. We discussed it in the then current Covid thread as a wry take on the Rule of 6:

www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?v=t&t=28366&m=615457

Conclusion at the time was we'd probably never know the full truth.

According to The Guardian further facts have now emerged which cast some doubt on what we were told at the time. All or most were Nigerians with potential claims to Asylum and victims of people smugglers:

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/21/stowaways-story-raises-questions-about-nave-andromeda-incident-deployment-sbs
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New Sun 21 Mar 21 15:41 
 Ship "Hi-Jack" Last Year - sooty123
Seems a bit of wise with hindsight, a ship's captain puts out an SOS. I'm not sure what else they were going to do, I suppose they could have messed about and it turn out to be a real hijacking. I don't see what the issue is, they thought it was a hijacking and acted, it turned out it wasn't. No one died.
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New Sun 21 Mar 21 17:50 
 Ship "Hi-Jack" Last Year - Biggles
Is this meant to be a criticism of the Home Office or the ship's captain?
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New Sun 21 Mar 21 18:04 
 Ship "Hi-Jack" Last Year - Bromptonaut
>> Is this meant to be a criticism of the Home Office or the ship's captain?

There's enough information to be sure.

The report makes clear that the stowaways were known to the ship's crew, at the latest, while it was docked in Spain. It may be that the Captain, having kept them fed/watered, realised that the UK authorities would question why he'd not put them off in Spain. Denouncing them as hi jackers provided a way out.

OTOH I'm sure that neither the Home or Defence Secretary was going to ask questions if the opportunity to deploy the SBS was presented to them.

Although I'm tempted to raise the issue of fitness for office I've no confidence that Labour ministers would act any differently.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Sun 21 Mar 21 at 18:05
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New Sun 21 Mar 21 18:24 
 Ship "Hi-Jack" Last Year - sooty123
OTOH I'm sure that neither the Home or Defence Secretary was going to ask questions
>> if the opportunity to deploy the SBS was presented to them.
>>

They'll have been plenty of questions asked I'll bet, just perhaps not the ones The Guardian feels is correct several months after with information that wasn't available at the time.

Neither minister seem go-ho, although they come to different conclusions that's not really the same thing.



What would you have done/do you think they should have done?



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New Sun 21 Mar 21 19:47 
 Ship "Hi-Jack" Last Year - No FM2R
>>OTOH I'm sure that neither the Home or Defence Secretary was going to ask questions if the opportunity to deploy the SBS was presented to them

Strange thing to say, why do you think that?
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New Mon 22 Mar 21 11:23 
 Ship "Hi-Jack" Last Year - Bromptonaut
>> Strange thing to say, why do you think that?

I wouldn't regard it as particularly controversial to suggest that Political considerations (does this make me look decisive, strong and re-inforce my image) might play in such a deployment.

Not making a point about the present Cabinet. Blair and Ministers of his era would have done the same - and did.
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