Four African Stowaways Survive 2,000 NM Trip on Rudder of MSC Boxship

It has happened again in the Canary Islands where Nigerian stowaways have been found sitting on the top of a vessel’s rudder having survived the perilous trip from Africa. Salvamento Maritimo and the national police in the Canary Islands reported the detention of four stowaways after an MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company vessel arrived in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on October 26. 

Dockworkers aiding in the arrival of the MSC Fiammetta (73,355 dwt) late on Saturday afternoon spotted the stowaways and reported them to the maritime authorities. Salvatore Maritimo sent its patrol boat Salvamar Nunki and it was able to retrieve the individuals and bring them ashore for processing. The containership built in 2008 has a capacity of 5,770 TEU.

According to media reports, the four men were identifying as Nigerian citizens. They said they had climbed onto the vessel while it was in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Tracking data indicates that the ship had been at sea for six days making an approximately 2,000 nautical mile trip during which time the stowaways would have been exposed to the sea and wind conditions. In past cases, it was reported the stowaways had been able to make their way up from the rudder into the steering gear room.

The authorities said the four individuals appeared to be in good health despite the conditions of their voyage. They were being processed and in most cases under Spanish law, they are placed back on the ship which is responsible for reparations. In some cases, such as three Nigerian stowaways in November 2023 that arrived on the oil tanker Alithini II, Spain grants asylum on humanitarian grounds.

 Spanish authorities are reporting an increase in the number of migrants trying to escape to the islands. There have been cases of small boats being spotted and rescued. There have also been cases of stowaways on commercial ships, such as two from Ivory Coast detected in June 2023 on another MSC containership. Another case of “rudder sitters” was discovered in July 2023 when two young Nigerians, ages 18 and 22, were found on MSC Marta when it arrived in the Canary Islands arriving from West Africa.

MSC Fiammetta was showing on its AIS transmission that it got back underway from the Canary Islands late on Monday, October 28, bound for Fos-sur-Mer. France.