In the first quarter of 2025 Britannia P&I club has reported that it seen a high number of stowaway cases.
In the first quarter of 2025, Britannia P&I Club has raised alarm regarding a a rise in stowaway cases, with larger groups and higher costs for resolution. Each successful boarding of a stowaway represents a failure in ships security, it can bring danger to the ship’s crew and can result in the death or injury of the stowaway(s) if they enter a dangerous location on the ship.
As well as the safety aspect, stowaway incidents are expensive and often slow to resolve, resulting in substantial costs and disruption.
Furthermore, evidence suggests that the cost of resolving each stowaway claim is also increasing, approaching the same as last year’s total. Also, the stowaways are often coming in larger groups, increasing the complexity of confining them if found and adding to the cost of repatriation
It is in everyone’s interest to deter and prevent stowaways from boarding.
…Britannia Club stressed.
- Although ships should always remain vigilant against the threat of stowaways, it is clear from review of reported incidents that any call at a port in Africa (particularly West Africa and North Africa) should be subject to heightened scrutiny.
- Common areas of access continue to be by the mooring lines, hawse pipes or entering the rudder trunk so these areas should be closely monitored.
Moreover, Skuld Club recently also has observed a significant increase in stowaway incidents which remain a persistent issue despite the adoption of the ISPS Code by many West African states. Skuld Club highlighted that the methods used by stowaways have been becoming more sophisticated and their financial demands for repatriation raise concerns about their true motives.
