Tag: stowaways

The recent incident on an oil tanker where stowaways posed a threat to the crew brought maritime security to the attention of a wider audience, says Abbie Rudd Senior Executive (Claims) at the North P&I Club.

The Port of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, has issued a circular that requires ships’ masters to carry out a systematic stowaways search prior to sailing and report to the Harbour Master. This requirement is effective from 1st January 2021. 

The crew members of the car carrier Viking Diamond, that was docked in the port of Casablanca, found several intruders onboard. The crew managed to defended themselves and their ship until the Moroccan police arrived.

In light of the recent stowaway case involving the vessel CHAMPION PULA, the Gard P&I Club stressed the danger associated with people hiding in ships' rudder tanks and shared preventive measures for vessels trading to ports with a high risk of stowaways, especially those designed with an open rudder trunk.

Stowaways are a crucial challenge for the shipping industry, causing disruption and security risks to the seafarers onboard. Thus, Dryad Global provides the current global statistics.

British police were called to the port of Southampton after reports of a group of stowaways having come off a vessel in port and trying to make their way out of the port.

Attacks on ships can be “utterly terrifying” for the seafarers involved, Sailors’ Society CEO Sara Baade said, following an incident involving stowaways who reportedly became violent towards crew onboard an oil tanker, off the Isle of Wight this weekend.

A Panama-flagged bulk carrier that was detained in South Africa last month, for throwing overboard two stowaways off the Natal coast, was released Thursday, according to South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA).

Clandestine migration is an issue that attracts interest these days, with TT Club informing that except border disruptions, this issue poses a great risk of contamination and damage to goods. Now, 2019 closed with surging numbers concerning clandestine migration with each Brexit deadline, as smugglers anticipated the border becoming more secure after Brexit.

Four Nigerian and Liberian stowaways were convicted from a UK court for the crime of affray for supposedly throwing fecal matter and threatening the crew of the Grimaldi con/ro Grande Tema last year. The defendants were cleared of the more serious charge of attempted hijacking.