RCMP Seize Ship Full of Would-Be Immigrants

Source: CBC News

Posted: 10/19/09 9:34AM

Filed Under: Canada

The RCMP boarded and seized the 'Ocean Lady,' a migrant vessel of unknown origin that ventured into Canadian waters off the coast of British Columbia, on Sat. Oct. 17, 2009. (The Canadian Press/Deddeda Stemler)

Dozens of men who were on board a freighter seized by RCMP officers off the coast of B.C. on Saturday have been taken to an unknown corrections facility in Vancouver.

Canada Border Services Agency spokesperson Rob Johnston said Sunday the 76 men found on the ship displaying the name Ocean Lady will undergo screening under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

"The examination is interviews by our border services officers to determine whether the people are admissible to Canada or not," he said.

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Dangerous Waters
Yemeni Fishing Dhow: The Dutch frigate HNLMS De Zeven Provincien, part of a NATO force, rescued 20 hostages April 18 from the vessel, which Somali pirates were using as a mother ship. The Dutch forces also captured seven pirates but had to free the bandits because the forces have no authority to arrest them.
NATO / OTAN / AP
NATO / OTAN / AP

Dangerous Waters

    The Nivose: Pirates off the coast of Kenya messed with the wrong ship Sunday. Apparently, two pirate assault boats mistook the Nivose, a French military vessel, for a commercial ship and approached it "at great speed." A French helicopter intervened and the pirates, above, were seized.

    Pierre Verdy, AFP/Getty Images

    Yemeni Fishing Dhow: The Dutch frigate HNLMS De Zeven Provincien, part of a NATO force, rescued 20 hostages April 18 from the vessel, which Somali pirates were using as a mother ship. The Dutch forces also captured seven pirates but had to free the bandits because the forces have no authority to arrest them.

    NATO / OTAN / AP

    Pompei: Pirates overtook the Belgian-flagged Pompei in the pre-dawn darkness April 18. The Somali bandits hijacked the ship a few hundred miles north of the Seychelles islands. Belgium officials have not had contact with the 10 crew members on board the vessel. "There is no contact with the pirates, not with the crew, not with any other parties," Jaak Raes, director general of the Belgian Crisis Center, told reporters.

    Belgian Government / AP

    Irene: The Greek-owned Irene was taken April 14 by pirates in the waters off the Somali coast, with 23 crew members on board.

    John Hark, AP

    Maersk Alabama: Capt. Richard Phillips, right, was freed April 12 after being held on a lifeboat by Somali pirates for five days. When pirates attacked the Maersk Alabama on April 8 in the Indian Ocean, Phillips offered himself as a hostage in exchange for freeing his ship and crew. Phillips was rescued when Navy SEALs shot his captors.

    US Navy / Reuters

    Liberty Sun: On April 14, the U.S. cargo ship Liberty Sun came under pirate attack and put out a distress call. The Navy's USS Bainbridge, which was transporting Maersk Alabama Capt. Richard Phillips home after his April 12 rescue from pirates, diverted course to assist. The Liberty Sun crew warded off the attackers by the time the naval vessel arrived.

    Karel Prinsloo, AP

    Tanit: French navy commandos stormed a sailboat being held by pirates off the Somali coast April 10 after the bandits threatened to execute their hostages. Four hostages, including a small child, were rescued, but a fifth captive was killed. He was identified as Florent Lemacon, owner of the Tanit. Two pirates were killed and three others taken prisoner, officials said.

    ECPAD / AFP / Getty Images

    Bow Asir: On April 10, pirates released the crew of the Norwegian-owned tanker, which was taken at the end of March. Somali pirate sources told reporters the bandits released the 27-member crew after the shipping company paid a $2.4 million ransom.

    Fred Vloo, AFP / Getty Images

    Blue Star: Somali pirates released the Blue Star in early March after holding the Egyptian vessel hostage for two months. The captain said the ship's owner, Abderrahman al-Awwa, paid a ransom of $1 million to secure the ship's release.

    AFP / Getty Images

    Faina: The Faina, which was loaded with Russian tanks and ammunition, was hijacked Sept. 25 by scores of Somali pirates. Here, pirates float beside the ship Sept. 28. The outlaws released the vessel Feb. 5, reportedly after receiving a $3.2 million ransom.

    U.S. Navy / AP

The vessel was towed to Victoria on Saturday under an RCMP and navy escort after HMCS Regina was tipped last week that the Ocean Lady had entered Canadian waters off Port Renfrew on Vancouver Island and was acting oddly.

Authorities are still trying to determine where the men came from and why they were on a ship that sailed unannounced into Canadian waters.

Federal Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan said there were indications the ship sailed from Sri Lanka, but the Canada Border Services Agency has not confirmed that.

The freighter had no flags flying on it, and the name Ocean Lady appears to have been written on the side with electrical tape.

RCMP Assistant Commissioner Alistair Macintyre said the ship will remain at Ogden Point in Victoria where it has been secured and is being examined.

"We don't want anybody else leaving it and entering Canadian shores undetected, and plus, we don't want anyone going on board and potentially contaminating a continuing criminal investigation," he said.

There is no indication how old the passengers are or whether any children were on board.

Authorities say the migrants told police who boarded the vessel that they wanted to come to Canada.

With files from The Canadian Press

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