⁍ British police requested military assistance to deal with stowaways aboard a Greek-operated oil tanker in the English Channel.

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⁍ Police said the crew of the Nave Andromeda had been subject to verbal threats from stowaways.

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⁍ Ship tracking data showed the Liberia-flagged Nave Andromeda had been expected to arrive in the English port of Southampton at 1030 GMT on Sunday.

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– British police requested military assistance to deal with stowaways aboard a Greek-operated oil tanker in the English Channel, British media reported Sunday. Police said the crew of the Nave Andromeda had been subject to verbal threats from stowaways and that they were working with coast guard and border forces to resolve the incident. ITV, the BBC, and Sky News reported military assistance had been requested, without citing sources. “It was reported that a number of stowaways were on board, and they had made verbal threats towards the crew,” a police spokesman said in an emailed statement, per Reuters. “No one has been reported injured.” The police said concerns for the crew were raised at 1004 GMT and that a three-mile exclusion zone had been placed around the vessel, currently near the Isle of Wight off the south coast of England. Earlier Sky News said seven stowaways had been found on board. The BBC cited lawyers for the ship’s owners as saying it was “100% not a hijacking.”