Stowaways Found in Dutch Ebola-Aid Ship

The Royal Netherlands Navy has discovered three stowaways on board a ship that delivered aid to Ebola-hit nations in West Africa, it confirmed on Tuesday.

According to media reports, the men climbed up ropes to get on board the joint logistic support ship, HNLMS Karel Doorman, while it was moored in Dakar, Senegal, then hid in a life boat and other parts of the ship. The vessel reportedly moored at a secure dock in Dakar which was guarded by local authorities. The Dutch crew guarded access to the ship itself, so it was unclear how the men managed to get aboard the military vessel.

Once discovered, the men were immediately given medical checks and showed no symptoms of Ebola or any other acute illness.

Once the ship docks in the Netherlands, the men will be handed over to military police, reports the Associated Press.

On January 2, the Navy announced that the Karel Doorman completed the delivery of 1.5 million kilograms of food, packed in 354 pallets and 148 containers, as well as 263 vehicles during two trips to the Ebola-affected area in West Africa. The final pallet was unloaded in the port of the Liberian capital city of Monrovia that afternoon.

Even though Karel Doorman just finished sea trials and has not been commissioned yet, she was sent on a three-month deployment to West Africa on November 6, 2014 to deliver aid to Ebola-struck countries.