Moroccan Navy Foils Migrant Hijacking of Cargo Ship in Atlantic

The Royal Moroccan Navy on Monday prevented an attempted hijacking by migrants trying to divert a cargo ship to the Canary Islands — a hotspot for illegals seeking to reach Europe from Western Africa.

The incident unfolded off Morocco’s southern coast when a Liberian-registered vessel sent a distress call, notifying authorities that a group of 54 migrants aboard was threatening the crew and demanding to be taken to the Spanish archipelago.

The ship, located west of the African mainland in the Atlantic, alerted Morocco’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Rabat about the escalating situation.

“An alert reached the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Rabat, informing that the crew of a cargo ship, flying the Liberian flag and located 110 kilometers off the coast of Tan-Tan, had been threatened by irregular migration candidates who intended to divert it towards the Canary Islands,” according to a statement from the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces.

It is unclear how the migrants came to be aboard the vessel — whether it was a result of a clandestine operation by smuggling gangs or if they had been rescued at sea.

A swift response from the Royal Navy saw two units, including a commando team, dispatched to intervene. The authorities boarded the cargo ship and secured the crew without any violence, taking the migrants into custody. They were later transferred to the Port of Tan-Tan for processing by the Royal Gendarmerie.

The incident is reminiscient of a similar attempt in October last year by a migrant group arrested for attempting to hijack a Dutch vessel of the Moroccan coast.

Some 79 migrants from two boats in distress were rescued by the offshore supply ship when some became aggressive and sought to take over the vessel.

Nine migrants were ultimately arrested and transported to the same Morrocan port of Tan-Tan.