Greek authorities arrested two South Sudanese minors on September 20 and 21 on suspicion of piloting migrant boats that carried 84 people from Libya to Greek islands, the Greek newspaper ekathimerini reported.

Officers first detained the 13-year-old on September 20 near the island of Gavdos, just south of Crete. Prosecutors say he navigated a vessel carrying 34 passengers from the Libyan coast.

One day later, on September 21, officials took the 17-year-old into custody in Crete. He stands accused of steering a dinghy that brought 50 migrants from Libya to the island.

Passengers on each boat identified the minors as the people in charge at the helm, ekathimerini reported.

What charges do the minors face?

Both teenagers face three counts under Greek law:

• Violating immigration laws
• Facilitating illegal entry into Greece
• Endangering the lives of passengers on their boats

Greek investigators have opened probes into each teenager's precise role, ekathimerini reported.

Why are minors at the helm of migrant boats?

The two arrests fit a wider pattern on Greece's southern sea routes. Last month, authorities in Crete detained four minors, including a 14-year-old boy, on similar accusations.

Reporting from Greek islands suggests the teenagers are rarely embedded in smuggling networks. Smugglers typically offer them a discounted seat in return for steering unseaworthy boats. Eritrean youths have taken on the same role in several recent cases.

The dynamic leaves children as young as 13 in charge of vessels carrying dozens of adults across hundreds of kilometers of open Mediterranean.

What happened during the rescue?

The 13-year-old's vessel required rescue about 60 kilometers from Gavdos. Officers from Frontex, the EU's external border agency, carried out the operation.

The 17-year-old was held on Crete after passengers on his boat pointed him out to arriving Greek officials.

How does this fit Crete's migration picture?

Crete has emerged as the busiest single entry point for irregular sea arrivals to Greece this year. More than 15,000 people have landed on the island on makeshift boats, according to the UNHCR.

A further 13,000 migrants entered Greece through other irregular means this year, per UN statistics. Sudanese war refugees make up nearly a third of all irregular arrivals. Bangladeshis account for roughly a quarter. Afghans and Egyptians each make up slightly under 10 percent.

Why has the route shifted to Libya?

For most of the past decade, smugglers ran the main crossings to the Greek Aegean islands from neighboring Turkey. Increased enforcement along the Turkish coast and the 2016 EU-Turkey statement cut that traffic sharply.

Smugglers shifted launch operations to eastern Libya in response. Boats now cover much longer stretches to reach Crete, Gavdos, and other southern Greek islands.

Greece remains at the forefront of irregular migration to Europe. Officials say tighter sea patrols have produced a significant fall in arrivals in some corridors, while the Libya-to-Crete route continues to grow.