Us Coast Guard Marine Safety Office In San Juan News

Six stowaways were turned over to authorities in the Dominican Republic after they were removed from a tug and barge arriving in San Juan from the Dominican Republic Sunday. The stowaways were spotted by the crew of the tug Sea Islander using a video surveillance system that monitors security on the barge. The master reported the stowaways to the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Office in San Juan. Crews from Coast Guard Station San Juan escorted the tug and barge to the pier where a team of law Enforcement officers including Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the barge company's private security guards waiting on the pier. While the barge was being moored to the pier, one stowaway exited the barge brandishing a machete and jumped into the water and swam under the pier.