Men on ship may be stowaways

Two suspected stowaways from Nigeria were found aboard a container ship bound for Los Angeles and taken into custody, authorities said Monday morning.

Federal authorities boarded the freighter Zenit about 6:30 a.m. Sunday and detained the two men, who are believed to be Nigerian nationals, said Lt. j.g. Stephanie Young of the U.S. Coast Guard.

The men, according to Young, had been hiding in the rudder compartment in the back of the ship. They were detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection for questioning, Young said. The ship had originally sailed from Denmark and stopped at Germany, Benin and Chile en route to the Port of Los Angeles, authorities said. Benin shares a border with Nigeria.