The West of England P&I Club informed that it has dealt with 60 cases involving 220 stowaways in the past 12 months, costing over USD 1.6 million to rectify and occupying a considerable amount of time to bring to satisfactory conclusions.
An analysis of the Club’s stowaway claims experience for the past 12 months has been carried out to identify those ports that are stowaway hot spots.
Comparing the Club’s Stowaways data a few years ago and the above data, it is noted that:
- Stowaways from European ports have increased noticeably in recent years. However, the high number of stowaways cases from European ports involving entered vessels have exclusively involved stowaways boarding RORO ferries (usually hiding in trailers) and, where Northern European ports are concerned, these vessels have all been trading from the listed boarding ports to the United Kingdom.
- African ports still predominate, with Lagos, Nigeria being the most prolific African port for stowaways by number of stowaways and number of cases. In recent years, the Club has experienced several incidents whereby large numbers of stowaways (10+) have boarded a vessel in Lagos in a single incident.
- Durban in South Africa and Douala in Cameroon have also been problematic.
In view of these, the Club strongly recommends that vessels visiting, in particular, African ports and Northern European Ports when destined for the United Kingdom, ensure robust anti-stowaway measures are in place at all times.
As regards the typical stowaway hiding places on board, the void space surrounding the rudder trunk continues to be popular. It is therefore recommended that a substantial metal grating be welded in position, clear of the full movement of the rudder stock, to discourage stowaways from attempting to hide in this location.
The Club issued a Loss Prevention Bulletin regarding stowaways a few years ago, which can be found herebelow:
