Tag: stowaways

The Republic of the Marshall Islands has issued a document to provide guidance on preventing stowaways on board and to address the potential risks.

The Skuld P&I Club has issued circular to provide an overview of the issues surrounding stowaways found onboard vessels destined for Spanish ports. The circular provides advice upon the treatment of stowaways in accordance with the guidelines set out by the Spanish authorities, in addition to MedPandi’s own experience in the handling of stowaways in Spanish ports.

MEDPANDI has issued a circular in order to provide an overview of the issues surrounding stowaways found onboard vessels destined for Spanish ports.

Amanda Hastings, a trainee claims executive for LS3, the UK Club’s People Claims syndicate, explains why stowaways are a real and ongoing risk that can prove expensive for shipowners.

The UK P&I Club has previously advised on the actions that shipowners may take in the event of stowaways and has now issued a stowaway questionnaire

The UK P&I Club advises on actions that shipowners can take in the event of stowaways.

Guidance in steps to take in preventing and dealing with stowaways The UK P&I Club has issued stowaways checklist to provide guidance in steps for preventing and dealing with stowaways.According to the checklist, the Club recommends the following steps:Prior to and during a ships call at any port, it will be necessary to ensure all relevant sections of the ISPS Code are implemented particularly regarding the ships gangway and dock areas. All access points should be secured.Ensure there is always a member of the ships crew manning the gangway who is closely monitoring all persons embarking and disembarking. Additional precautions such as CCTV should also be used where available.On ro-ro vessels the ramp should be monitored at all times and any access points on deck should be locked so that the vessel cannot be penetrated.Agents should obtain and provide the ship with a list from the stevedore company that clearly identifies the number of stevedores working on the ship. It is essential that stevedores only embark and disembark by the ships gangway and their movements are constantly monitored whilst onboard.All visitors that are expected on the ship should be known to the ships master, the crew member assigned to gangway ...

The UK P&I Club warns that several incidents in West Africa concerning stowaways boarding/attempting to board a vessel via the rudder trunk have been reported and advise operators to be extra diligent

The American P&I Club has issued an alert to warn that the number of persons trying to stowaway on board ships in Durban and Cape Town is increasing. Shipowners are recommended to implement appropriate preventative measures.

Africa answers for 81% of the total amount of cases The Swedish P&I Club informs that according to latest IMO statistics, during 2014 61 stowaways incidents reported involving 120 stowaways.Cape Town and Lagos were the most common ports of embankment. Africa answers for 81% of the total amount of cases and the most common type of known stowaway nationalities were Nigerian, Ghana and Tanzanian.According to the Club's statistics, the average cost for a stowaway case is USD 38,500 although the costs for one case can escalate to several hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on the legal and practical difficulties to repatriate the stowaway involving, inter alia, teams of security personnel.Further information may be found byreading IMO's report below:Source: The Swedish P&I Club