Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Stowaways found on a ship's rudder in Spain's Canary Islands

Spain’s Maritime Rescue Service says it has rescued three stowaways traveling on a ship’s rudder in the Canary Islands after the vessel sailed there from Nigeria

Via AP news wire
Tuesday 29 November 2022 10:15 GMT
Migration Spain Stowaways
Migration Spain Stowaways

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Spain’s Maritime Rescue Service says it has rescued three stowaways traveling on a ship's rudder in the Canary Islands after the vessel sailed there from Nigeria.

The men, found on the Alithini II oil tanker at the Las Palmas port, appeared to have symptoms of dehydration and hypothermia and were transferred to hospitals on the island for medical attention, Spain's Salvamento Marítimo said.

According to the MarineTraffic website which tracks ships, the Malta-flagged vessel left Lagos, Nigeria on Nov. 17 and arrived in Las Palmas Monday.

Though extremely dangerous, it is not the first time stowaways have been found traveling on the rudder of commercial ships to the Canary Islands. Last year a 14-year-old Nigerian boy was interviewed by Spain’s El País newspaper after surviving two weeks on a ship’s rudder. He had also departed from Lagos.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in