Two Detained Stowaways Jump off Docked Cargo Ship into Italian Harbor

Italian authorities reported a search operation after two stowaways who had been discovered on an arriving cargo ship escaped and jumped overboard. The body of one of the two individuals was later recovered, with reports that the young male had likely been struck by the propeller of a passing ferry, while the second individual was still missing.

The incident began when the Stena Shipper, an 11,320-dwt RoRo, arrived at the Italian port of Livorno. The ship, which is 633 feet in length, was acquired by Stena Line in January and operates from Radès, Tunisia. The ship docked in Italy around 0700 on October 30 and was scheduled for a standard inspection by the Maritime Border Police (Polmare).

While the ship was being inspected, two individuals were discovered, reportedly in a container. They had no identifying papers and claimed to be Moroccan, but the police believed they were likely Tunisian. In cases where stowaways are discovered on a ship, the normal procedure is to detain them and place them in the custody of the ship, which must return them to the point of origin.

According to media reports, the captain of the Stena Shipper locked the two young men in a cabin. While the crew was distracted, the men forced the lock on the door and were seen jumping overboard into Livorno harbor.

The police and Coast Guard were alerted, and a search began with patrol boats and fireboats. On shore, the police also began searching in case the men made it onto land. The search was being complicated by heavy rains in the region, which had washed mud and debris into the harbor. Also, the harbor has a depth of 15 meters (49 feet). They also reported a strong current in the harbor pushing toward the breakwater.

The harbormaster ordered marine traffic to be suspended in the area of the port. The containership MSC Agadir was blocked from exiting the port while the inbound RoRo cargo ship Eco Napoli was diverted to a different berth in the harbor. 

The authorities later reported the recovery of the body of one individual. They were continuing to search the harbor and the surrounding area for the other person.