Seven men were discovered hiding near the rudder compartment of a Belgian-flagged oil tanker while the vessel was sailing off the coast of West Africa, raising fresh concerns over maritime security and stowaway incidents in the region.

The tanker, identified as the Cap Felix, is operated by Bocimar and was reportedly traveling from Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, when the incident was reported to maritime authorities. According to reports, the vessel was already around 200 nautical miles away from shore when assistance was requested through the Maritime Operations Center in Côte d’Ivoire.