Migrant ship capture: Maltese armed forces take control of hijacked tanker
Malta's armed forces have taken control of a tanker which had been seized by migrants off the coast of Libya on Wednesday.
The tanker, Elhiblu 1, is now heading to a Maltese port with the crew and migrants, who will be handed over to police. More than 100 migrants who had been rescued by the ship hijacked it after being told they would return to Libya.In a statement, the Armed Forces of Malta said they had established communications with the captain of the ship when it was still proceeding towards Malta.
The captain said he was not in control of the vessel and that he and his crew were being forced and threatened by a number of migrants to proceed to Malta. A patrol vessel stopped the tanker from entering Maltese territorial waters, and a special operations unit team was dispatched to board and secure the vessel, the AFM said in a statement.
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