The Shipboard Response to Stowaways and Distressed People in Small Boats (2025-26 Edition) is a practical and highly detailed resource on how to manage encounters with unauthorized individuals, including stowaways, migrants, refugees, and human trafficking victims, while maintaining ship security and safety.
The publication covers a range of real-world scenarios, offering a structured approach to dealing with stowaways. It includes guidance on identifying access points on ships, conducting effective security measures to prevent stowaways, and carrying out thorough ship searches.
Additionally, it offers protocols for managing stowaways once found, addressing the responsibilities of the master and crew, including proper treatment, reporting, and handling aggression or violence. The guide also delves into the challenges of disembarking stowaways and the associated costs.
For those responding to migration and human trafficking incidents, this edition provides vital insights into global migration routes. It discusses the role of merchant ships in migrant rescues, detailing the procedures for coordinating with rescue organizations and managing potentially vulnerable or violent individuals on board. It also provides legal guidance, ensuring seafarers understand their obligations under international law.
Rescue at sea is another key focus of the publication, with clear guidance on the roles and responsibilities of the crew during rescue operations. It covers preparation, response strategies, medical assistance, and coordination with rescue centers, offering checklists and training resources to improve readiness for such situations.
In summary, this edition offers a thorough, practical guide that helps seafarers navigate the complexities of managing stowaways, migrants, and rescue situations.
A stowaway is “a person who is secreted on a ship, or in cargo which is subsequently loaded on the ship, without the consent of the shipowner or the Master or any other responsible person and who is detected on board the ship after it has departed from a port, or in the cargo while unloading it in the port of arrival, and is reported as a stowaway by the master to the appropriate authorities“. – definition by the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic, 1965, as amended (FAL Convention)
