Fifteen stowaways rounded up

Two stowaways jumped into the sea and held on to the quay for several minutes early yesterday morning while Freeport security personnel were busy rounding up 10 other men.

The incident started at about 7 p.m. on Sunday when the Fas Provence vessel docked at the Freeport, sources told The Times.

When containers were being unloaded, security personnel spotted five individuals running across the terminal. After a brief chase, the men were rounded up and later on another five were netted. Cutting tools, which served to force open the containers, were later found.

At about 4 a.m. two other individuals were plucked out of the sea after they were spotted clinging on to the quay in the chilly waters. None of the men, aged between 18 and 30, offered resistance and all appeared to be in good health. The captain of the vessel acknowledged that the stowaways, all Algerian men, had disembarked from his vessel.

Later yesterday, the captain of another ship - the Ville de Dubia - informed the Freeport he would be docking in Malta with three stowaways on board. The men were not allowed to disembark.

The immigration police were informed about both cases.

Though the arrival of Algerian stowaways has become a common occurrence at the Freeport, their deportation is not always a clear-cut matter.

In January, the immigration police and Freeport authorities spent days trying to determine the fate of five Algerian stowaways after the captain of a container ship they were on refused to take them back on board.