Unusual Stowaway Location

[Slowboat35]

So happy to get an expert opinion. Well done.

Yes, its always nice to get an opinion from someone who offers one, as opposed to just unpleasant sniping. Leave alone the infantile little cartoon picture...
So, oh great and wise capt "sensible" (!) explain how in all your great wisdom, people could survive (for 14 days without fresh water -utterly impossible ) on top of a ships rudder that would be several metres under water when the ship was loaded (as it would be leaving an oil producing nation as it did) and would be brutally lashed by propwash as soon as the screw turned, leave alone how the rudder of an improbabaly empty ship would have remained unrinsed by seas over 2 weeks of Atlantic passage?

Sorry pal, your enthusiasm to establish personallly directed sniping considerably exceeds your rational processes...

 

[capnsensible]

Yes, its always nice to get an opinion from someone who offers one, as opposed to just unpleasant sniping. Leave alone the infantile little cartoon picture...
So, oh great and wise capt "sensible" (!) explain how in all your great wisdom, people could survive (for 14 days without fresh water -utterly impossible ) on top of a ships rudder that would be several metres under water when the ship was loaded (as it would be leaving an oil producing nation as it did) and would be brutally lashed by propwash as soon as the screw turned, leave alone how the rudder of an improbabaly empty ship would have remained unrinsed by seas over 2 weeks of Atlantic passage?

Sorry pal, your enthusiasm to establish personallly directed sniping considerably exceeds your rational processes...

Earlier similar incidents reveal that there is a small compartment above the rudder. It's easy to find that out.

 

[capnsensible]

Prior to departure, the crew should conduct a thorough search of all compartments and the result should be recorded in the logbook. As the CHAMPION PULA case illustrates, the rudder trunk is not an uncommon access point for stowaways and is often used as a hideout, especially when a ship is in ballast condition.
An aft-ship design with an open rudder trunk, like that of the CHAMPION PULA, can be found on many vessels and the following precautionary measures should be considered when such vessels are trading to ports with a high risk of stowaways:

• Cover openings to the rudder compartment with grating or steel bars to prevent stowaways from gaining access to the area.
• Install an inspection hatch in the steering gear room that will enable inspection of the rudder trunk prior to departures.
• When in ballast condition, carry out an inspection of the rudder, e.g. by use of the vessel’s rescue boat or pilot boat prior to departure.

Often pays to conduct a little research before posting.....

 

[Slowboat35]

QED by the infantile little cartoon picture I suppose? It does nothing for your adult credibilty you know.

You still have utterly failed to describe why or how a laden oil tanker leaving an oil producing country arrives at destination totally unloaded.

Doubtless you can explain. Of course...

 

[capnsensible]

 

[capnsensible]

Define 'fully laden' as applied to this photo of the incident.

 

[newtothis]

Define 'fully laden' as applied to this photo of the incident.

Alithini II is a product tanker that has recently been trading between Marseille and Nigeria.
I won't swear to it, as I can't be bothered finding out, but at a guess I'd say it has been trading refined products to Nigeria rather than crude from Nigeria.
Hence, likely to be in ballast or taking its remaining cargo on to the Canaries, which has neither oil reserves nor refineries, so would not be a destination for a cargo of crude.
For matters like this it is usually best to call on @Kukri for expert opinion.

 

[savageseadog]

A cruise with an easy access swimming pool.

 

[Poignard]

(...)

You still have utterly failed to describe why or how a laden oil tanker leaving an oil producing country arrives at destination totally unloaded.

(...)

That isn't the point.

Astonishing as it seems, the fact is these men did survive a long sea passage with the ship in the condition shown, and they were not the first to do so.

 

[Frogmogman]

QED by the infantile little cartoon picture I suppose? It does nothing for your adult credibilty you know.

I fear that with your raging against emojis you are fighting a battle that was already lost a number of years ago.

 

[Kukri]

Alithini II is a product tanker that has recently been trading between Marseille and Nigeria.
I won't swear to it, as I can't be bothered finding out, but at a guess I'd say it has been trading refined products to Nigeria rather than crude from Nigeria.
Hence, likely to be in ballast or taking its remaining cargo on to the Canaries, which has neither oil reserves nor refineries, so would not be a destination for a cargo of crude.
For matters like this it is usually best to call on @Kukri for expert opinion.

I’m immensely flattered but can add little to @newtothis ’s solid explanation.

I have myself dealt with one case of stowaways using the rudder trunk but that was on a container ship.

I fear I have only limited sympathy for the professional stowaway who speaks no known language, has destroyed all documents that might serve to identify him, and is violent.

 

[capnsensible]

The migrant route to the Canaries has grown hugely again in the past couple of years with the Med being far harder to cross, it seems. Most arrive in small fishing boats. The attrition rate is tragically high.

Almost daily at least one boat will arrive in Lanzarote. Some time ago i saw one towed into Puerto Calero. 40 or so souls were landed and the vessel promptly sank. It had to be craned out.

Last year i saw another arrive in La Restinga, El Hierro. If they had missed that it was certain death.

Those that follow Ryan and Sophie sailing blog may recall Rysan standing by several vessels for long hours thereby effectively saving around a hundred lives. I know it upset him a lot. Single handed and very concerned.

Conditions ashore in holding areas for many are awful too. A couple of years back, I was passing Anguineguin, South Gran Canaria. We saw 20 or so of these 'pateras' alongside the main jetty. We subsequently discovered the containment area on the dock had nearly two thousand people in squalor.

It's hard to imagine what kind of life they must have left behind to endure these hardships and ever present risk of death, starvation and being deported straight back. Plus, of course when they are finally saved, you get the class of person who simply sneers at them......

Mebbe I've strayed a bit into forum no go areas but for many yachtsmen transiting the Canaries......thousands every year, it is a potential danger.

 

[Poignard]

The migrant route to the Canaries has grown hugely again in the past couple of years with the Med being far harder to cross, it seems. Most arrive in small fishing boats. The attrition rate is tragically high.

Almost daily at least one boat will arrive in Lanzarote. Some time ago i saw one towed into Puerto Calero. 40 or so souls were landed and the vessel promptly sank. It had to be craned out.

Last year i saw another arrive in La Restinga, El Hierro. If they had missed that it was certain death.

Those that follow Ryan and Sophie sailing blog may recall Rysan standing by several vessels for long hours thereby effectively saving around a hundred lives. I know it upset him a lot. Single handed and very concerned.

Conditions ashore in holding areas for many are awful too. A couple of years back, I was passing Anguineguin, South Gran Canaria. We saw 20 or so of these 'pateras' alongside the main jetty. We subsequently discovered the containment area on the dock had nearly two thousand people in squalor.

It's hard to imagine what kind of life they must have left behind to endure these hardships and ever present risk of death, starvation and being deported straight back. Plus, of course when they are finally saved, you get the class of person who simply sneers at them......

Mebbe I've strayed a bit into forum no go areas but for many yachtsmen transiting the Canaries......thousands every year, it is a potential danger.

If by saying what you have, you are straying into forum no-go areas, then the fault lies with the forum. Not with you.

 

[Bajansailor]

If they had missed that it was certain death.

Some years ago (in 2006) a local fishing boat here spotted a yacht drifting - they called the Coastguard, who went to investigate.
And they found a yacht with 11 dead Africans on board
Ghost ship with 11 corpses washes up in Barbados

BBC NEWS | World | Africa | Mystery over ghost ship migrants

The yacht was left tied up at the Coastguard base here, and subsequently sank there.

Two years later, some more were found off Antigua -
African migrants lost at sea found dead off Antigua.

 

[CM74]

As the photo shows, there's space above the rudder where I'm assuming they were most of the time. The photo looks pretty extraordinary which is probably why it was all over the news, but stowaways in the rudder trunk are something that has been an issue for a long time, especially for insurers because of the inevitable costs involved. They have even issued advice on trying to prevent it, though it's rather impractical.

I suppose the rudder trunk is the ideal space for stowaways, as it's usually inaccessible from inside, and isn't visible from the shore or deck.

I've heard rumours of ship's crews "evicting" stowaways discovered at sea because of the huge fines etc that landing them involves.

 

[savageseadog]

What's the rudder trunk for?

 

[Poignard]

As the photo shows, there's space above the rudder where I'm assuming they were most of the time. The photo looks pretty extraordinary which is probably why it was all over the news, but stowaways in the rudder trunk are something that has been an issue for a long time, especially for insurers because of the inevitable costs involved. They have even issued advice on trying to prevent it, though it's rather impractical.

I suppose the rudder trunk is the ideal space for stowaways, as it's usually inaccessible from inside, and isn't visible from the shore or deck.

I've heard rumours of ship's crews "evicting" stowaways discovered at sea because of the huge fines etc that landing them involves.

There was a report that the master of a Norwegian ship had thrown a stowaway over the side with an empty oil drum and left him to die. If true, it doesn't say much for the rest of the crew .

Years ago I was a Junior Engineer in one of Jebsens bulk carriers sailing through an area where there were lots of decrepit boats from Indonesia filled with families escaping persecution, poverty, hopelessnes or whatver was motivating them to abandon what little they had and risk their lives.

We didn't encounter any but one evening we officers were talking about it over a drink in the Old Man's cabin. The Old Man, an unpopular man nick-named "The Goat" claimed that he would not stop to pick up these boat-people.

The Chief Engineer, a dour Glaswegian, assured him that the engine would stop, and remain stopped, until the boat-people had been taken onboard.

The Goat shut up then but I was discussing the incident with the 2nd Engineer later and I said I assumed the Chief Engineer would be sacked.

"No he won't" he replied "The Goat's a coward", and, sure enough, nothing more was heard about it.

 

[Biggles Wader]

There was a report that the master of a Norwegian ship had thrown a stowaway over the side with an empty oil drum and left him to die. If true, it doesn't say much for the rest of the crew .

Years ago I was a Junior Engineer in one of Jebsens bulk carriers sailing through an area where there were lots of decrepit boats from Indonesia filled with families escaping persecution, poverty, hopelessnes or whatver was motivating them to abandon what little they had and risk their lives.

We didn't encounter any but one evening we officers were talking about it over a drink in the Old Man's cabin. The Old Man, an unpopular man nick-named "The Goat" claimed that he would not stop to pick up these boat-people.

The Chief Engineer, a dour Glaswegian, assured him that the engine would stop, and remain stopped, until the boat-people had been taken onboard.

The Goat shut up then but I was discussing the incident with the 2nd Engineer later and I said I assumed the Chief Engineer would be sacked.

"No he won't" he replied "The Goat's a coward", and, sure enough, nothing more was heard about it.

True story about Vietnamese boat people
Vietnamese girl thanks Tyrone hero who plucked her from sea in 1979 - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk

 

[Poignard]

True story about Vietnamese boat people
Vietnamese girl thanks Tyrone hero who plucked her from sea in 1979 - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk

What a wonderful story. A real hero.

 

[Biggles Wader]

Captain Martin "crossed the bar" a couple of years ago but he will always be remembered for what he did. A great legacy.