Why 3 men spent 11 days on rudder of ship, braving dangerous waves to reach Spain's Canary Islands

The Spanish coast guard on Monday rescued three migrants who undertook an 11-day voyage perched on a tanker's rudder. The ship arrived in the Spanish-owned Canary Islands from Lagos in Nigeria, according to Marine Traffic, a global ship-tracking website.

A Twitter handout by the coast guard showed the three migrants balancing on the rudder of the oil and chemical ship Alithini II.

Once rescued, they were provided with initial care by emergency medical workers and then were immediately referred to hospitals for further care.

All three were hospitalised due to moderate dehydration and hypothermia after the 11-day voyage across the Atlantic, Spanish news agency EFE reported.

The three were spotted balancing themselves on the rudder, Atlantic waters just half-a-meter below their feet, as seen in the coast guard photograph.

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The spot where they sat during their journey from Nigeria is located under the stern of a ship, wide open and susceptibe to any blow from the sea.

EFE reports that this is not the first time stowaways have been found in the port of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in a particularly dangerous part of the ship. Two years ago, three people were found on the rudder of the Ocean Princess II; and last month, three more spotted on a Norwegian oil tanker. Both ships had arrived from Lagos.

Reports state that the Canary Islands are often used by African migrants as a gateway to Europe and according to Spanish data, in comparison to last year, sea migration to the islands jumped 51% till May 2022.