Four Sri Lankan stowaways captured while traveling on a cargo ship transporting Sri Lankan clothing exports to Europe were handed over to Sri Lankan authorities this week.
Last month, the suspects boarded the MV CMA CGM PANAMA container ship in Colombo Harbour on March 24th. The captain of the ship discovered them at the Suez Canal security checkpoint in Egypt. The stowaways were handed over to the Sri Lankan Police on Monday and detained by Galle Premaratne Thiranagama’s Acting Magistrate on Tuesday, according to local news.
When the Sri Lankans were detected, they were dressed as members of the ship’s crew. The captain alerted his parent company about the situation. The detainees were transferred to another vessel passing by on its way to China, where they will be handed over to the Sri Lankan authorities.
According to the Department of Immigration and Emigration, a special inquiry has been begun to establish how these men entered Colombo Port and the vessel. According to the authorities, action will be pursued not just against the four Sri Lankans, but also against those who assisted and enabled them.
For further reading:
Gard: Key actions to prevent stowaway incidents onboard
Gard: Key actions when stowaways are found onboard
