A tanker has rescued eight people on a small boat that was sinking miles off the Cayman coast after it was alerted by the Cayman Islands Coast Guard.
The ship, the Malta-registered LNGShips Athena, diverted to rescue the men in line with international maritime law and brought them closer to shore, where they were transferred to another boat and taken to George Town Customs and Border Control (CBC) said on Monday.
The drama on the high seas began about 1:45pm on 28 Nov. after the Coast Guard got a call alerting them to a vessel in distress about 18 nautical miles (21 miles) northeast of Grand Cayman.
The tanker’s captain, working with the Coast Guard and CBC, picked up the men, who were turned over to the Mass Migration Section after they were safely landed.
The men remain in custody where they are being processed.
Border control officials added that 16 migrants from Cuba had been repatriated to their homeland in two separate operations.
Officials said 12 people were flown home on Nov.29, with the help of the prison service, and four others were returned to Cuba on a Cayman Airways flight on Nov. 29.
Bruce Smith, the director of CBC, said that the work of government officials had been “instrumental in ensuring the smooth transition of individuals, especially with the added efficiency brought about by the 2022 regulations that have significantly reduced the processing time”.
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