Photo Shows Stowaways Sitting Just Above Water on Ship's Rudder After Perilous 11-Day Journey at Sea

Three stowaways have been hospitalized after traveling from Nigeria to Spain on the rudder of an oil and chemical tanker.

The Spanish coast guard rescued the men on Monday after the ship, the Alithini II, reached the Canary Islands following 11 days at sea, according to The Associated Press and The Guardian.

The 183-meter (600-foot) vessel, which bore a Maltese flag, departed from Lagos, Nigeria, on Nov. 17 and arrived in Las Palmas in Gran Canaria on Monday, per the reports.

The Spanish coast guard shared a photo on Twitter showing the men perched just above the boat's waterline.

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Spain's Maritime Safety and Rescue Society said the men were brought to port and transported to hospitals for medical attention after showing symptoms of dehydration and hypothermia, according to the AP.

The Spanish government's delegation in the Canary Islands told the outlet that all three men are from Nigeria.

Salvamento Marítimo

Two of three stowaways have been returned to the ship, while the third remains hospitalized, according to Reuters.

The Canary Islands are a popular destination for African migrants looking to reach Europe, according to Reuters and CNN.

Salvamento Marítimo

The International Organization for Migration says nearly 3,000 migrants have either died or gone missing in their attempts to cross from Africa to the archipelago by sea since 2014,  Reuters reported.

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Spanish data shows a 51% increase in migration by sea during the first five months of 2022, compared to the same span in 2021, per CNN.

Approximately 22,500 migrants were observed crossing from West Africa the Canary Islands in 2021 alone, according to the Red Cross. More than 1,100 of those migrants are confirmed to have died at sea, though many more are believed to have perished.

Spain's Interior Ministry said over 11,600 people have landed on Spanish islands by boat so far this year, according to the AP.

Salvamento Marítimo

The Red Cross says migrants leave West Africa for various reasons, including extreme poverty, violent conflict and climate change.

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More migrants are now traveling to the Canary Islands in order to reach the European Union after routes from Turkey to Greece and Libya to Italy became "increasingly difficult and dangerous" over time, according to the organization.

"Simply put, migration is their last hope to provide healthier and safer lives for themselves and their families," the Red Cross website says.