Richards Bay stowaways die at sea

TERRY HUTSON TWO AFRICAN stowaways, who are believed to have boarded a bulk ship as it loaded coal at the supposedly highly secure area of Richards Bay Coal terminal earlier this month, were found dead from what appears to be asphyxiation after the vessel arrived off the Indian port of Paradip. The men’s bodies were found lying in one of the cargo holds. An Indian police superintendent said crew members found the bodies when they opened the vessel’s hatches as the ship prepared to enter port. An unnatural death case docket has been opened and the vessel delayed outside port while the bodies are sent for autopsy and DNA and fingerprint collection. Indian sources said the ship’s last port was Richards Bay and it is believed the stowaways may have thought the ship was headed for Europe, a popular destination among African stowaways. How the two men managed to board the ship unnoticed and despite the stringent ISPS procedures is not yet known. Paradip is one of 12 major ports in India and is situated on the extreme northeast coast in the state of Orissa, facing into the Bay of Bengal.