Barcelona —
The Maritime Rescue Service of Spain reports that it has rescued three stowaways from a ship’s rudder in the Canary Islands after the vessel travelled from Nigeria. The guys, who were discovered on the oil tanker Alithini II at the Las Palmas port, exhibited indications of dehydration and hypothermia and were brought to hospitals on the island, according to Spain’s Salvamento Martimo.
According to the ship tracking website MarineTraffic, the vessel flying the flag of Malta departed Lagos, Nigeria on November 17 and landed in Las Palmas on Monday.
Although very perilous, this is not the first time stowaways have been discovered heading to the Canary Islands on the rudders of commercial ships.
A 14-year-old Nigerian kid was interviewed by the Spanish daily El Pas last year after surviving two weeks on a ship’s rudder. In addition, he had left Lagos.
»Three stowaways recovered from the rudder of an oil tanker at a Spanish port«