Date: Monday, 03 June 2019
This morning the KNRM brought a 26-year-old man from Eritrea with a homemade raft from the North Sea. © KNRMRescue workers of the Royal Dutch Rescue Society (KNRM) brought a 26-year-old man from Eritrea from the sea this morning off the coast of IJmuiden who probably wanted to cross over to England on a self-made raft. The raft was spotted from a fishing vessel, just before the port of IJmuiden.
According to a KNRM spokesperson, the raft floated in the approach route for the port of Amsterdam, where large ships pass. The chance that the raft would be sailed was considerable. The man on the raft wanted to use the ebb current to get to the high seas. The raft had no drive and was therefore entirely dependent on the current and wind.
The man probably went to sea at IJmuiden. It was difficult or impossible for the KNRM to communicate with him. The rescue service has handed over the man to the Marechaussee.
