A captain has told a Maltese court how migrants seized control of his bunker tanker after they were told it was going to take them back to Libya.

Three youths from Guinea and Ivory Coast aged 15, 16 and 19 are charged with hijacking the 846-dwt Elhiblu 1 (built 2015) last month.

It is alleged they ordered the master to head to Malta where the ship was re-taken by the army.