Four stowaway Moroccans found aboard cargo ship in Great Yarmouth
Four stowaway migrants claiming to be from Morocco were found onboard the MV Anetta, a cargo ship, at Great Yarmouth harbour on December 1. Picture: Submitted. - Credit: Archant
Four stowaway migrants claiming to be from Morocco have been taken from a cargo ship in Great Yarmouth.
Four stowaway migrants claiming to be from Morocco were found onboard the MV Anetta, a cargo ship, at Great Yarmouth harbour on December 1. Picture: Submitted. - Credit: Archant
The migrants, described as minors, were on board a commercial vessel, the Anetta.
It is understood the boat had sailed from Zeebrugge in Belgium and was due to arrive on Sunday morning (December 1), at approximately 9am, at Great Yarmouth harbour.
In a statement Border Force said its officers went to the vessel and spoke to four people who presented themselves as Moroccan nationals.
It added: "They were all found to be minors and have been placed into the care of social services.
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"Their cases will be dealt with according to the immigration rules."
A spokesperson from Peel Ports said, "We can confirm four stowaways were identified onboard the MV Anetta which berthed at the Port of Great Yarmouth on Sunday (December 1).
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"The vessel is secured and Border Force, as the responsible Authority, are in attendance and now dealing with the matter."
Hansa Shipping, the Estonian company operating the Anetta, has declined to comment.
The ship, which flies the flag of Antigua and Barbuda, was built in 2014.
It is not the first time migrants have been stopped attempting to illegally cross the Norfolk coast.
In September, 21 migrants claiming to be from Albania were found aboard a cargo ship.
The migrants - 19 men and two children - were discovered by crew members aboard the Rotre Mare which was detained five miles off the coast during an operation involving Border Force, the Coastguard, the Great Yarmouth Port Harbour Master, Norfolk Police and the vessel's agent.
In 2016, Dutch police found a map of Sea Palling on a boat carrying 26 migrants.
