TWENTY-SEVEN illegal immigrants spent a day at sea holding on to buoys around a giant tuna net as the Maltese and Libyan governments argued over who should save them from drowning.

They were picked up eventually by an Italian patrol vessel. The men - Africans of various nationalities - had paid for a passage from Libya to Europe in an open boat that foundered on Saturday.

Soon after their boat went down they were spotted by the Maltese tug Boudafel, which was towing a huge tuna-breeding plant towards Spain.

When their boat sank the men grabbed the steel cable connecting the breeder to the tug and worked their way on to buoys that formed a floating circle, about 60 metres across, supporting the system of nets below the surface.

The tug was ordered by her owners not to take the men on board because that would have interrupted her voyage.