Three men seeking asylum in Europe were found by Spain's coastguard stowed away on the rudder of a Maltese-flagged oil tanker this week.

A dramatic photo shared by the coastguard on Twitter showed the men seated on the rudder of the Alithini II tanker just above the waterline, partially hidden from view. 

According to reports, the three migrants were found on the oil and chemical Maltese-flagged tanker as it arrived in Las Palmas from Lagos, Nigeria.

They are suspected of having snuck onto the rudder when the ship departed Lagos - 11 days before it finally reached its destination in the Canary Islands. 

Spanish news agency EFE has reported that the three men were taken into port and then treated in hospital for moderate dehydration.

In a similar incident in October 2020, four people also stowed away on the rudder of a tanker for ten days as it travelled from Lagos to Las Palmas.

Malta has one of the largest ship registries in the world that includes thousands of merchant ships.

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