Grande Tema incident

[2][3] Around 16 December, four male stowaways were discovered by the ship's captain Antonio Raggi in the lower deck ramp area.

[5][4][3] The stowaways attacked the windows, threw faeces and urine, and made cut-throat gestures in an attempt to gain access to the bridge.

[4] Traffic in the nearby English Channel was disrupted as a result of the incident, with the vessel sailing in circles in the Thames Estuary until the situation was resolved.

[5][3] Several Special Boat Service operatives fast-roped onto the vessel from Royal Navy helicopters at around 23:00 and secured it within 25 minutes, with no injuries.

[3] The four stowaways, Samuel Jolumi, 27, Ishola Sunday, 28, Toheeb Popoola, 27, and Joberto McGee, 21, originating from Nigeria and Liberia, were tried at the Old Bailey in London in September 2019.

[5] In mitigation, McGee claimed he had to flee West Africa to avoid being forced to join a gang, while the others cited desperation and impulsivity.