A search and rescue operation is ongoing off Cape Town after seven suspected stowaways jumped overboard from a containership approaching the port, with one person still missing.
The incident occurred on April 21, when the vessel was approximately five nautical miles from shore. The individuals, all believed to be male, reportedly entered the water in an apparent attempt to swim to land as the ship was inbound.
The containership immediately initiated rescue efforts, joined by a nearby bulk carrier and another containership. Six of the seven individuals were recovered from the water within a short time.
However, one person remains unaccounted for.
South Africa’s National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) deployed two rescue boats and coordinated a search operation, including the use of a drift buoy to assess currents and refine the search area. Despite continued efforts into the evening, no trace of the missing individual had been found, and concerns for survival were increasing after nightfall.
The incident highlights the ongoing risks associated with stowaways in parts of Africa, where individuals attempt dangerous journeys aboard commercial vessels to escape economic hardship.
In a separate case days earlier, Nigerian authorities intercepted three stowaways aboard the containership MSC Stella as it departed Lagos for Cape Town. The men, all in their 20s, were removed from the vessel before it cleared the port.
Authorities also reported a March incident involving three individuals discovered hiding in the rudder compartment of the tanker MT Anatolia. The men had boarded the vessel by canoe, intending to reach Europe, but were detained and later repatriated.
Maritime authorities continue to warn that such incidents pose serious safety risks both to those attempting the journey and to vessel crews involved in rescue operations.
