Men survive 11 days on rudder of ship travelling from Nigeria to Canary Islands

Though extremely dangerous, it is not the first time stowaways have been found travelling on the rudder of commercial ships to the Canary Islands

Three stowaways were discovered on a ship’s rudder after the vessel sailed to the Canary Islands from Nigeria, Spain’s Maritime Rescue Service said (Salvamento Maritimo/AP)

Three stowaways were discovered on a ship’s rudder after the vessel sailed to the Canary Islands from Nigeria, Spain’s Maritime Rescue Service said.

The men, found on the Alithini II oil tanker at Gran Canaria’s Las Palmas port, appeared to have symptoms of dehydration and hypothermia and were transferred to hospitals on the island for medical attention, Spain’s Salvamento Marítimo said.