Search and Rescue as Stowaways Jump from Containership off Cape Town
The authorities in Cape Town reported that a search and rescue operation had been launched after reports that seven apparent stowaways had been seen jumping from a containership. The unidentified vessel was reportedly arriving in Cape Town when the people, all believed to be males, decided to swim for shore.
The alarm was sounded around 1415 on April 21 as the containership was approximately five nautical miles from shore. It was inbound for the port, but the individuals apparently thought it would be better to swim.
The containership started the rescue and was being assisted by a bulker and another containership. A report from the National Sea Rescue Institute said that six of the individuals were quickly recovered by the ships. However, they determined that a seventh person was missing.
NSRI joined the effort, sending out two of its rescue boats and using teams to plot the search grid. They also deployed a drift buoy to determine the drift speed and direction. However, they reported that there was no sign of the missing man.
The search was continuing after darkness, but hope of locating the person was fading.
The containership along with two other commercial vessels started the search joined by the NSRI boats (NSRI)
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Stowaways continue to be a problem for commercial shipping and others in parts of Africa, as people are desperate to flee difficult conditions. Nigerian authorities reported that on April 19, they had apprehended three stowaways from the containership MSC Stella as the vessel was departing Lagos for Cape Town. The three men, all in their 20s, were detained and removed from the containership while it was in the fairway outside the port. The authorities believed the three men had boarded the ship on April 17 while it was in the port.
The Nigerians also reported that they detained three individuals in March aboard the product tanker MT Anatolia. They were discovered hiding in the rudder compartment of the tanker when it was docked in Lagos. Interviews revealed the three men were from Ghana and had been living for about a year in Côte d’Ivoire. Using a canoe, they boarded the ship, intending to travel to Europe. Believing the ship had reached its destination, they revealed themselves to the crew, who handed them over to the Nigerian Navy. They were later transferred to the Ghanaian Embassy in Nigeria for repatriation.