Authorities in Italy and Malta said migrants had hijacked and taken control of a Libyan bound tanker on Wednesday.
The migrants forced the crew to sail the El Hiblu 1 vessel towards Europe. Maltese Special Forces boarded the vessel and restored control over the tanker.
#Elhiblu1 arriving in #Malta after #ArmedForces stormed pirates. pic.twitter.com/pEt3Wslhne
— Newsbook Front Page (@Newsbook_com_mt) March 28, 2019
The tanker then travelled towards the Italian Island of Lampedusa and Malta, when the tanker arrived in Valletta the Maltese capital armed military were seen on board.
Our past track feature shows the voyage of the El Hiblu 1, a tanker that was hijacked by migrants rescued at sea who did not want to be returned to Libya. Read more here: https://t.co/9X2jUEHffK #marinetraffic @nytimes #Elhiblu1 pic.twitter.com/D4dEoD2KSk
— MarineTraffic (@MarineTraffic) March 28, 2019
The captain of the El Hiblu 1 vessel told authorities migrants had taken control, “and that he and his crew were being forced and threatened by a number of migrants to proceed to Malta.”
The Special Forces team were supported by a helicopter, two fast interceptor boats.
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