desperation

Not Sailing

The Spanish Coast Guard and police in the Canary Islands found two stowaways perched on the top of the rudder of an MSC containership arriving from Africa. The two young men had been aboard the vessel for six days in a position where they were unable to stand up and had no shelter in an attempt to reach Europe.

The MSC Marta (72,000 dwt) arrived in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on Monday, July 10, after a voyage of more than 2,700 nautical miles from West Africa. The vessel docked after 10:00 p.m. local time at the container terminal on its normal route in which the Canary Islands are an interim stop between Africa and Europe.

In a routine inspection, Salvamento Maritimo reports its patrol boat Nunki spotted the two individuals lying atop the 901-foot containership’s rudder on feet above the water. They launched a zodiac boat and were able to retrieve the two individuals who turned out to be young men from Nigeria age 18 and 22. The local police were on the dock to take custody of the men. More.

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