Three stowaways were discovered lounging on the ship’s rudder after it finished an 11-day cruise from Nigeria, according to Spanish authorities.
A photo posted by the coastguard depicts the men perched on the oil tanker’s rudder with their feet less than one meter from the water.
They were transported to a hospital in Gran Canaria, the destination of the tanker, and treated for moderate dehydration.
It is unknown whether they spent the entire trip perched atop the rudder.
According to data obtained by marine tracking websites, the Maltese-flagged Althini II landed in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, from Nigeria’s main city, Lagos, after a journey of more than 2,700 nautical miles.
EFE, a Spanish news agency, reported that the guys were evaluated by medical personnel at the pier where they were discovered and afterward sent to a hospital.
This is not the first time stowaways have been discovered on enormous rudders’ blade-like fins used to direct ships.
A 14-year-old youngster who traveled from Lagos to Gran Canaria in 2020 stated to the newspaper El Pais that he spent the entire 15-day journey seated on the massive petroleum tanker’s rudder. After surviving on salt water and taking turns sleeping in a hole above the rudder with his traveling companions, he was hospitalized upon arrival.
“We were quite weak. I never expected it would be so challenging “he stated.
Four men were discovered on the rudder of the Norwegian oil tanker Champion Pula after it had traveled from Lagos to Las Palmas in a separate event that same year. The men reportedly hid in a chamber beneath the ship’s rudder during its ten-day voyage.
In recent years, the number of migrants traveling from west Africa to the Spanish-held Canary Islands by boat has increased substantially.
The treks are lengthy, perilous, and fatal. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) of the United Nations confirmed 1,532 deaths on the route in 2021.
