In November 2022, three men from Nigeria secretly hid on the rudder of the Maltese-flagged oil and chemical tanker Alithini II in an attempt to reach Europe.
The men departed from Lagos and endured an extremely dangerous 11-day journey across the Atlantic Ocean while sitting on the rudder blade just above the waterline.
When the ship arrived in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, on 28 November 2022, Spanish maritime rescue teams discovered the three men still perched on the rudder and brought them safely to shore.
One of the survivors later described the experience as incredibly harsh, saying the long journey left them severely exhausted and weak.
Authorities initially returned two of the men to the vessel with plans to deport them back to Nigeria, but the situation later changed after the men requested asylum.
The men departed from Lagos and endured an extremely dangerous 11-day journey across the Atlantic Ocean while sitting on the rudder blade just above the waterline.
When the ship arrived in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, on 28 November 2022, Spanish maritime rescue teams discovered the three men still perched on the rudder and brought them safely to shore.
One of the survivors later described the experience as incredibly harsh, saying the long journey left them severely exhausted and weak.
Authorities initially returned two of the men to the vessel with plans to deport them back to Nigeria, but the situation later changed after the men requested asylum.
In November 2022, three men from Nigeria secretly hid on the rudder of the Maltese-flagged oil and chemical tanker Alithini II in an attempt to reach Europe.
The men departed from Lagos and endured an extremely dangerous 11-day journey across the Atlantic Ocean while sitting on the rudder blade just above the waterline.
When the ship arrived in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, on 28 November 2022, Spanish maritime rescue teams discovered the three men still perched on the rudder and brought them safely to shore.
One of the survivors later described the experience as incredibly harsh, saying the long journey left them severely exhausted and weak.
Authorities initially returned two of the men to the vessel with plans to deport them back to Nigeria, but the situation later changed after the men requested asylum.
