An illegal immigrant was sliced to death by a ferry's 'machete-like' propellor after launching a bid for freedom across the North Sea  to avoid deportation. Albanian Artur Doda, 24, plunged to his death alongside fellow countryman Leonard Isufaj, 27, after jumping from one of the world's largest ferries, minutes after it had taken off from British shores. The pair were said to be 'tantalisingly close' to the port in Harwich, Essex, when they decided to launch themselves into the sea. Albanian Artur Doda, 24, and fellow countryman Leonard Isufaj, 27, plunged to their deaths after jumping from one of the world's largest ferries, the Stena Britannica (pictured), while being deported from the UK . An inquest heard how the pair, who were being taken to Holland, were just 500 metres from the port - but that even an Olympic swimmer would have struggled to swim through the currents. The incident, which took place in February last year, came after the pair had arrived in the UK with 13 other stowaways hidden in the back of a lorry on a freight ferry. They were believed to be part of a group which had broken into the vehicle without the driver's knowledge. After today's hearing, the coroner said the incident was part of 'a bigger picture on immigration and how it's handled'. The inquest heard how the vehicle had been randomly selected for X-ray as it entered the port six hours earlier. After Border Agency checks, all but two women were sent back on the Stena Britannica 9am ferry the same day to the Hook of Holland. But, at around 10am, it was reported to the captain that two immigrants had jumped from the ship. The inquest heard how an eyewitness saw them jump from the railings on the side of the ship before resurfacing briefly then disappearing back into the water. But despite an extensive search  involving 21 vessels and two helicopters, neither man was rescued. Mr Isofaj, who died from drowning, was found on March 20, 2014, washed up on a beach in Felixstowe. He was identified by fingerprints taken during his deportation by Border Force agents. Mr Doda's badly decomposed body was found floating in the North Sea on April 29, 2014, and could only be identified by DNA from his mother in Albania. The two men had been deported from Harwich International Port, Essex, to Holland when they decided to jump into the North Sea. A huge search operation was launched but neither man was found alive . Inspector Christopher Willis, from Essex Police, told the inquest that the sea would have appeared deceptively calm, instilling a false belief that it would be possible to swim to shore. But even if they had not been sucked under the ship, they were unlikely to have survived fierce competing tides, he said. 'To swim to land with those tides and the water temperature would have been nigh-on impossible - an Olympic swimmer would have struggled,' he added. Mr Willis said a tide heading out to sea at about four knots met another northerly tide at about the point where the men jumped. This, combined with a sea temperature of about 7C, meant the conditions were virtually unsurvivable, he said. 'It may have been that the were used to warmer and less tidal waters in their home country and this gave them a false sense of security that they could make it,' he added. Giles Young, senior officer with Border Force at Harwich International Port, revealed that the men had been part of a routine deportation and immigrants, during which they are treated like ordinary passengers on the return journey and not put in handcuffs. He said: 'This is not a case of being marched on in handcuffs. 'During the process, neither offered any verbal or physical resistance to being moved onto the vessel.' He added that the organisation saw 'a lot of these particular cases'. 'The same people will turn up two or three times,' he said. 'We have individuals this year who are already on their second attempt and it is only March. It's a carousel system.' Pathologist Dr Ian Calder, who performed a post-mortem examination on Mr Doda, described his injuries saying: 'This was a very forceful cut across the vertebrae by a sharp, curved blade. 'It is the sort of injury you would get from a machete. 'This would be quite compatible with the sharp blade of a propeller.' Coroner Eleanor McGann recorded a conclusion that both men died accidental deaths. She said: 'On face value it is easy to conceive of a situation where they jumped off the ferry in their desperation intending to drown, but there is no evidence of that. 'The evidence suggests they were intending to swim back to England, something that they could see was tantalisingly close to them. 'In fact they did not know about the effect of a moving ship on somebody who jumps over the side, and they were sucked underneath.' Mrs McGann said it was difficult to make recommendations to the Government based on this case. 'This is all part of a bigger picture on immigration and how it's handled, and nothing I could say could help prevent such sad deaths in future,' she added. The Stena Britannica is one of the largest Superferries in the world and can cater for up to 1,200 passengers. Speaking after the hearing, Mr Isufaj's cousin, Besnik Vata, 33, from north London, said the case highlighted the plight of many other immigrants . He added: 'They had come to the UK for better a life and it seems they were determined to stay. 'We heard that they weren't escorted on board the ship so there was always a risk this would happen - if I was in that position I would have done the same. 'There are lots of people in the same situation and they are just desperate. 'I think there should be better security to stop this happening because they're not just immigrants, they are people too.'
Artur Doda, 24, and Leonard Isufaj, 27, both Albanian, jumped in North Sea . Both were being taken to Holland after illegally arriving in Harwich, Essex . Incident took place when Stenna Britannica ferry was 500m from UK shore . Huge rescue operation was launched but neither man was found alive .