AN overpowering stench from flatulence and urine in a poorly ventilated corner of a merchant vessel has exposed 21 Ghanaian stowaways in a vessel which was bound for Spain.
The stowaways had hidden in a crane of the vessel, the MV Mag Dalena, with the hope of stowing away to Spain, but frequent flatulence and urine gave them away.
The stowaways, who could not stand the stench any longer, felt uncomfortable and made noise, which led to their arrest.
According to a source at the Takoradi Port, the stowaways, all from New Takoradi, boarded the vessel using canoe and bamboo at the anchorage of the Takoradi Port at 2 a.m. last Saturday.
They were identified as Daniel Kweku, Abudulai Mohammed, Francis Essuman, Samuel Adu, Amos Annin, John Ephraim, Emmanuel Okran and Edward Bosman.
Others are Issah Bubani, Christopher Botwey, Collins Mensah, Samuel Hughes, Mike Ashford and Simon Agu.
The rest are Mustapha Kadri, Abudulai Anass, Ebenezer Dadzie, Annin Mensah, Kofi Mensah and Abu Samba.
The source said the stowaways had been contracted by a stevedoring company at the Takoradi Port to help load cocoa onto the vessel.
It said during the loading, the suspects planned to stow away and knowing very well that they would be discovered, they boarded the vessel at about 2 a.m.
According to a police source, the ship master and his crew had conducted a routine search at the port and realised that all the labourers had disembarked.
It said the ship, therefore, moved to the anchorage of the port on its way out but the noise from the stowaways led to their discovery and the vessel made a U-turn to the port.
All the 21 have been remanded into prison custody after being arraigned before the Takoradi Circuit Court ‘B’.
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