Monday, 7th July 2008 - 11:23CET

Skipper jumps overboard in fishing boat 'mutiny'

The skipper of a small foreign fishing boat jumped overboard near Malta this morning after an argument with his crew turned nasty, informed sources said.

He was picked up by an AFM patrol boat and the boat was escorted to Birzebbuga in what was initially reported by the police as having been another landing by illegal migrants.

Further investigation showed that the vessel was actually a fishing boat. Its crew of five Tunisians had had an argument with the skipper, a Libyan, and he jumped overboard, fearing for his life, when things turned nasty, informed sources told timesofmalta.com

Investigations are continuing.