Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) officials apprehended a Haitian sloop early yesterday morning carrying more than 60 undocumented Haitian nationals on the Great Bahama Bank west of the Exuma chain.

The interception was made by Her Majesty’s Bahamian Ship Lignum Vitae under the command of Senior Lieutenant Bertram Bowleg around 2 a.m. Monday morning.

After the vessel was boarded and searched, officials found 69 migrants (58 males, 10 females and a child).

“The wooden vessel was initially sighted by a defence force surveillance aircraft piloted by Chief Petty Officer Gregory Storr earlier that day when HMBS Lignum Vitae, which was on routine patrol at the time, was directed to intercept,” a statement issued by the RBDF read.

“The migrants were transported to the capital and turned over to immigration officials for further processing. The Royal Bahamas Defence Force remains committed to defending the territorial integrity of The Bahamas as it guards our heritage.”