Police and Border Force swoop as seven Albanian stowaways are found on board cargo ship off Dorset coast
- ‘Small number of unidentified individuals’ were found on board vessel yesterday
- Cargo ship is believed to have loaded at Rouen before arriving off Portland coast
- Border Force officials called in alongside local police to deal with the incident
Seven Albanians stowaways have been arrested after they were found on a cargo ship bound for Dorset.
Paramedics received a call from the Chise Bulker vessel at around 5.40am on Tuesday after a person on board was reportedly in need of medical attention.
It was soon discovered that seven ‘unidentified individuals’ had been found stowing on board the vessel, though nobody needed any help from paramedics.
Seven Albian stowaways were found on board the Chise Bulker cargo vessel off Portland yesterday morning
Paramedics were initially called after a person was reportedly in need of medical attention at around 5.40am on Tuesday
The Chise Bulker was due to arrive at Portland at around 4am yesterday after loading at the Port of Rouen.
A spokesman from Dorset Police said today: ‘We received a call at around 5.40am on Tuesday from the ambulance service in relation to a person reportedly in need of medical attention on board a commercial vessel, called Chise Bulker, off the coast of Portland.
‘Following enquiries, it was established there were reportedly a small number of unidentified individuals that had been located on board the vessel and none of them required any medical assistance.
‘Officers liaised with the Border Force, the vessel’s crew and other partner agencies and arrangements were made for the vessel to safely dock at Portland Port.
‘A total of seven individuals – believed to be Albanian nationals – were arrested by police and escorted from the ship. They will be considered by the Border Force and UK Visas and Immigration for potential offences.
‘The ship’s crew are being spoken to by officers and enquiries are ongoing to establish whether there are any reports of criminal offences. There were no reports of any injuries to the crew or the detainees involved in this incident.
‘We would like to thank all those involved in the multi-agency operation to ensure this vessel could safely be brought into port and those on board taken safely to shore.’