Swansea Coastguard called out the Mumbles Coastguard Rescue team and requested the launch of the Mumbles RNLI inshore lifeboat.
The lifeboat upon reaching the drifting vessel discovered the craft was carrying six men of chinese origin, it was taking on water due to the boat having no bung, and there was no lifesaving equipment whatsoever.
The South Wales police were alerted to the incident and despatched a unit to question the men. The six men are being interviewed by the police.
Dai Jones, Watch Manager, Swansea Coastguard said:
If we had not been alerted to this drifting vessel by the member of the public, this incident could so easily have had a different outcome.
The vessel was drifting towards where the tide flows extremely fast and it would have carried this craft and it's six occupants to extreme danger.
As the vessel was taking water and not a lifejacket between them, we could easily have been looking at a fatal incident.