Wednesday, January 29, 2025

 

Ireland Apprehends Nine Men Hiding in a Container Arriving from Africa

Rosslare Europort Ireland
Rosslare Europort is a busy cargo port for Ireland (Rosslare Europort)

Published Jan 27, 2025 3:38 PM by The Maritime Executive

 


Irish police are investigating the circumstances of what appears to be another case of human traffic through one of its busy cargo seaports. Nine men were found in a container at the Rosslare Europort in southeast Ireland this morning January 27 and handed over to the police.

It is unclear how long the container had been at the busy seaport or how long it had been traveling. Media reports indicate the container originated in Africa. It is believed to have made two stops in Europe while traveling to Ireland.

The police were called to the port at approximately 10:30 am this morning Monday, January 27, after the nine individuals were discovered. Medical teams checked the individuals and reported either were healthy while one was transferred to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The media reports the individuals are possibly from Djibouti although the police only commented that the investigation was ongoing.

Rosslare Europort located approximately 90 minutes driving distance to either Dublin or Cork is one of Ireland’s fastest-growing cargo ports. It has direct connections both to Europe and the UK and is serviced by a broad range of companies including DFDF, Neptune Lines, Stena, Brittany Ferries, and Irish Ferries. In 2023, the port’s operator reported overall freight in the past two years had grown cumulatively by 53 percent with a 398 percent increase in continental trade.

This is the latest in a series of incidents of human smuggling the Irish Times reports. According to the newspaper, in March 2024 seven people were discovered in a trailer. They were determined to be from Eritrea.

Twelve months ago, the Irish Times reported that 14 migrants, including men, women, and children, were found hiding in another trailing at the port. It has arrived from Zeebrugge in Belgium. The investigation revealed they were Kurdish people from Iran and Iraq.

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