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Two migrants returned on tanker

Two of the three Nigerians who survived an 11-day journey sitting at the helm ofthe 'Alithini II' have, after treatment, been transported back onto the ship: they must be sent back to Lagos, where they came from, the Spanish authorities have decided. The third was still hospitalized. According to Spanish law, a migrant must be sent back immediately if the person does not apply for political asylum,. Whether this has happened was unclear as also the question whether the migrants have been made aware of their rights before being returned to the ship. The conditions during the journey were already an indication that there may be something very serious behind it. The ship's captain has confirmed to the Red Cross that the ship left Nigeria 11 days before arrival in Las Palmas.

Migrants from the rudder seek asylum

The three Nigerian stowaways found on the rudder of the 'Alithini II' after an 11-day voyage from Lagos to Las Palmas are seeking asylum in Spain. After they were picked up on Nov 28 from the rudder, they were transferred to two hospitals on the island of Gran Canaria with symptoms of dehydration and hypothermia. One of them remained hospitalized while the other two have been released. According to Spanish law, unless the stowaways seek asylum, or are minors, the ship owner or agent is responsible for returning them to their point of departure – in this case, Lagos. Given that they are now seeking asylum, the ship was free to leave port again and sailed on Nov 30. The asylum seekers’ identities and their motives for leaving Nigeria and hiding on the ship’s rudder haven’t been made public. Also on Nov 29, the human rights organization Walking Borders issued a statement demanding the Spanish government halt their potential return to Nigeria and calling for their cases to be assessed individually. The statement was issued following reports by Spanish authorities that two of the men were returned to the vessel for a potential return. The non-governmental organization advocated that they be placed into the government’s humanitarian program for migrants so they could recover from their voyage and possibly seek asylum.

Three stowaways survived 11 days on rudder

On Nov 28, 2022, at around noon, three stowaways were discovered on the rudder of the 'Alithini II', after it had arrived in the port of Las Palmas en route from Lagos. They had survived 11 days at the helm of athe tanker. The SAR boat 'Salvamar Nunki' was tasked to take them off. They have been transferred to the port and treated by health services before being hospitalized with moderate dehydration. Photo: https://twitter.com/salvamentogob/status/1597318082275708928