The Ghana Navy removed seven stowaways from a Belgian-flagged tanker after they were discovered hiding in the steering gear area above the vessel’s rudder while sailing off the West African coast.
The incident involved the tanker Cap Felix, operated by Bocimar, which was reportedly transporting oil from Nigeria to Côte d’Ivoire. The vessel was around 200 nautical miles offshore when a request for assistance was sent to the Ghana Navy..
Ghanaian naval vessel Achimota was dispatched on May 13 to intercept the tanker. Video footage released by local media showed navy personnel approaching the ship by launch boat, while one of the stowaways could be seen standing on top of the rudder.
All seven men were removed from the vessel and later handed over to the Ghana Immigration Service and the Marine Police for further investigation.
Authorities are now trying to determine the identities and nationalities of the stowaways, as well as how they managed to board the tanker. Investigators believe the men may have climbed onto the vessel while it was anchored near Abidjan. It remains unclear where the group planned to travel.
The case is the latest in a series of dangerous stowaway incidents involving individuals hiding near rudders or inside steering gear compartments on commercial vessels departing West Africa.
Similar cases were reported in the Canary Islands in recent years, including incidents involving tankers and MSC containerships carrying stowaways who had reportedly boarded vessels in Nigeria and survived long ocean crossings perched above the rudder.
One of the most notable cases occurred in 2023, when Brazilian authorities discovered four Nigerian stowaways aboard a vessel after a 13-day Atlantic crossing.
