Nearly 70 Albanian migrants were smuggled into the UK on a converted fishing boat which only had enough life jackets to save 20 people, a court heard yesterday.
The 98ft trawler, called the Svanic, was crossing the North Sea from Belgium to Norfolk on November 17 when it was intercepted by UK Border Force.
It was escorted to Harwich in Essex where three members of the crew were arrested. Three other ‘UK-based organisers’ were later detained.
The Svanic, which was built in 1962, had been converted to hold 19 berths – far fewer than the numbers on board, the jury was told.
The 98ft trawler, called the Svanic, was crossing the North Sea from Belgium to Norfolk on November 17 when it was intercepted by UK Border Force
And it had a ‘maximum life-saving capacity’ of 20 people – meaning there were only a handful of life jackets for the 69 migrants and three defendants on the boat.
Prosecutor Tony Badenoch QC told Chelmsford Crown Court that the boat displayed ‘a multitude of faults’.
But he added that the use of such a large vessel was ‘unusual’ and ‘more sophisticated’ than other methods of crossing.
The most commonly used route for Albanians entering the UK illegally from Belgium is in heavy goods vehicles, at a cost of £2,000 to £3,000 per person.
Small boats, such as rigid hull inflatables, are also popular and charge between
