Stowaways found on ship’s rudder

THREE Nigerian stowaways found on an oil tanker’s rudder after an 11-day ocean voyage from Lagos, Nigeria, to Las Palmas, on the Canary Islands, are seeking asylum in Spain.

The three men were picked up on Monday by Spain’s Maritime Rescue Service from the rudder of the ship, the Malta-flagged Alithini II, and transferred to two hospitals on the island of Gran Canaria with symptoms of dehydration and hypothermia. One of them remained in hospital yesterday while the other two have been released, Spanish authorities said.

According to Spanish law, unless the stowaways seek asylum, or are minors, the ship owner or agent is responsible for returning them to their point of departure – in this case, Lagos.

Given that the men are now seeking asylum, the ship was free to leave port and resume its voyage to Gibraltar.

Yesterday, the human rights organisation Walking Borders issued a statement demanding that the Spanish government should halt their potential return to Nigeria, and calling for their cases to be assessed individually.

The statement was issued following reports by Spanish authorities that two of the men had been returned to the vessel for a potential voyage back to Nigeria.