Questions continue to be asked about the UK's response to an alleged hijacking of a Navios group tanker after one of the stowaways denied any attempt to seize the ship.
UK special forces stormed the Navios Maritime Acquisition-owned, 75,000-dwt Nave Andromeda (built 2011) off the Isle of Wight in October last year after the seven-strong group was said to have gained control of the ship.
But UK prosecutors later dropped the case against the men after finding no evidence of threats, intimidation or violence towards the crew.
Opposition politicians have also called for an inquiry into the incident.
Now one of the men, using the pseudonym John, told the UK's Guardian newspaper that the group only approached the crew because they believed they had been abandoned to drown.
The stowaway, who has claimed asylum in the UK, revealed he and six others had been locked for 12 days in a cabin after they were discovered tied to the hull of the ship by ropes.
The 27-year-old admitted the group broke down the door after their shouts to the crew went unanswered on 25 October 2020.
The men had boarded in Lagos, Nigeria, on 5 October.
John said he had been homeless after both his parents were killed by Islamist terror group Boko Haram.
6 October 2020
The Nave Andromeda leaves Lagos, Nigeria.
26 October 2020
Reports emerge that UK police has learned of a stowaway incident on the Nave Andromeda. The master reportedly tells authorities that he is worried for the crew's safety because of the "increasingly hostile behaviour" of the stowaways. UK special forces storm the vessel.
26 December 2020
Two of the seven stowaways appear in court on charges of conduct endangering ships.
8 January 2021
Charges against the two men are dropped.
The stowaway added that he was offered a route out of the country by a man who promised he had a friend in Europe who would find him work.
The group was discovered when the vessel docked in Spain.
John said they were treated well, with food and water being brought and trips up on deck allowed.
But the men later became concerned the ship had turned around for Africa.
After breaking out of the cabin, they found the captain in a locked bridge, holding up a piece of paper. It said: "Stay calm, the port authorities are coming to pick you up."
John said the special forces later arrive from a helicopter "like they were going to war".
"They had guns and they couldn’t let us look into their faces," he said. "They told us to lie belly down on the deck. There’s nobody on the planet who wouldn’t have been frightened about that."
The Guardian reported that the captain acted after seeing six of the stowaways on deck and requested immediate assistance from UK authorities.
"At first they said we were sea pirates but there was no evidence of that," John said.
"They said we tried to hijack a ship. Such an incident didn't happen. I’m happy we had a good crown prosecutor who went through the case properly."
Neither the Home Office nor the Ministry of Defence have commented. Navios has been contacted for comment.
At the time of the incident, manager Navios Tankers Management said the ship’s master had acted with "exemplary response and calmness".
The company praised crew members for their “fortitude in a difficult situation”.
