Spanish coast guard rescues 27 migrants on dinghy 175 km from Gran Canaria
Salvamento Marítimo, Spain's maritime rescue service, rescued 27 males, including five minors, from a dinghy east of Cape Bojador. The alert was raised by the cargo ship Kirsten Oldendorff.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Salvamento Marítimo, Spain's maritime rescue service, has rescued 27 males of sub-Saharan and Maghreb origin, five of them minors, who were travelling in an inflatable dinghy 175 kilometres south of Gran Canaria. The alert was raised by the crew of a cargo ship passing through the area.
The rescue took place on Tuesday at an unusual position for this type of vessel, far to the west of the African coast. The dinghy was located **150 kilometres east of Cape Bojador**, in Western Sahara, and **175 kilometres south of Gran Canaria**.
## A passing cargo ship raised the alarm
The crew of the **Kirsten Oldendorff**, a cargo ship sailing from Russia towards the South Atlantic, was the first to spot the people on board the dinghy. They realised they were asking for help and alerted the Spanish authorities.
From the port of **Arguineguín**, in Gran Canaria, Salvamento Marítimo dispatched the Guardamar Polimnia towards the position. The group is expected to arrive in Gran Canaria at midnight, around **00.00 on Wednesday**.
## Five minors among those on board
The vessel was carrying **27 males**, all of sub-Saharan and Maghreb origin. Among them were **five minors**. The dinghy was in an area far from the usual routes for such boats, which makes surveillance and rescue more difficult.
The location, far to the west of the African coast, forced the mobilisation of a unit from Gran Canaria instead of using closer resources. The alert from a cargo ship proved decisive in ensuring the group was located in time.
## The role of cargo ships in Atlantic surveillance
The Canary Islands route has become one of the busiest towards Europe, and commercial ships crossing the Atlantic often end up acting as improvised lookouts. In this case, the Kirsten Oldendorff was on its way from Russia to the South Atlantic when it came across the dinghy.
The Salvamento Marítimo vessel had to travel a considerable distance to reach the reported position. The rescue was completed with no serious incidents reported among those on board.
The rescue took place on Tuesday at an unusual position for this type of vessel, far to the west of the African coast. The dinghy was located **150 kilometres east of Cape Bojador**, in Western Sahara, and **175 kilometres south of Gran Canaria**.
## A passing cargo ship raised the alarm
The crew of the **Kirsten Oldendorff**, a cargo ship sailing from Russia towards the South Atlantic, was the first to spot the people on board the dinghy. They realised they were asking for help and alerted the Spanish authorities.
From the port of **Arguineguín**, in Gran Canaria, Salvamento Marítimo dispatched the Guardamar Polimnia towards the position. The group is expected to arrive in Gran Canaria at midnight, around **00.00 on Wednesday**.
## Five minors among those on board
The vessel was carrying **27 males**, all of sub-Saharan and Maghreb origin. Among them were **five minors**. The dinghy was in an area far from the usual routes for such boats, which makes surveillance and rescue more difficult.
The location, far to the west of the African coast, forced the mobilisation of a unit from Gran Canaria instead of using closer resources. The alert from a cargo ship proved decisive in ensuring the group was located in time.
## The role of cargo ships in Atlantic surveillance
The Canary Islands route has become one of the busiest towards Europe, and commercial ships crossing the Atlantic often end up acting as improvised lookouts. In this case, the Kirsten Oldendorff was on its way from Russia to the South Atlantic when it came across the dinghy.
The Salvamento Marítimo vessel had to travel a considerable distance to reach the reported position. The rescue was completed with no serious incidents reported among those on board.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (0 replies).
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