Tag: stowaways

Improvements in security have not reduced the number of stowaways or the number of incidents and it is seafarers who have to cope with the extra work, delay, uncertainty and possible violence.

Port facilities need to further strengthen their capacities for surveillance and access control, in order to reduce the incidence of stowaways, participants at a regional seminar on stowaways in West and Central Africa agreed.

The West of England P&I Club has issued new Loss Prevention Bulletin on the issue of stowaways, a problem that still remains.

Stowaways: the Master is not alone - Extra precautions to be taken when calling at specific ports

Nigeria - Increase in Stowaways from Lagos

Ballast water real time monitoring to meet the required standards

Stowaways hiding in rudder stock recess

Agents are currently investigating allegations of stowaways A cargo ship believed to be carrying stowaways was seized at a New Jersey port on Wednesday after it arrived in the United States following stops in India and Egypt to pick up freight, the U.S. Coast Guard said.Agents said they heard what sounded like people in a container buried beneath others in the ship's hold, Coast Guard spokesman Charles Rowe said.The container had not been opened hours after the ship was stopped and was being moved by crane to a dock so it could be checked, he said.The ship's manifest said the container was loaded onto the vessel on June 7 in India and was carrying machine parts.At least seven ambulances waited outside Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal, where dozens of containers were moved to the dock for inspection. Authorities knocked on the outside of the red, blue or gray containers, listening for noises, and opened and searched them.The vessel was identified as the Ville D'Aquarius, according to Anthony Bucci, a spokesman for the U.S. Customs & Border Protection."Agents are currently investigating allegations of stowaways," Bucci said in a statement.Rowe said authorities determined the container could not be opened in the ship's hold, ...

Vessels are advised to ensure that the crew is particularly alert to this risk In the past month the West of England P&I Club has experienced a number of cases involving stowaways boarding vessels in Durban, South Africa. Members with vessels on passage to Durban or other ports in South Africa are advised to ensure that the crew is particularly alert to this risk.In one recent incident, stowaways managed to bypass a locked gate in an underdeck passage on a container vessel by climbing through a cable run in the adjacent transverse frame, even though the gap between the cables and steel frame measured only 17 cms. In another case, a stowaway hid inside a crane pedestal.According to Club correspondents P&I Associates in Durban, the majority of stowaways are Tanzanian nationals who have entered South Africa illegally. However, nationals from Mozambique, Kenya and other countries in Central and West Africa may also be encountered.Unless already required by the Ship Security Plan, P&I Associates recommend that vessels take further action as follows:Keep a deck watch forward and aft as many of the stowaways in the recent past have advised they climbed up a mooring line at night to board the vessel. ...

Vessels calling at Turkish ports The West of England P&I Club has been advised by Kalimbassieris Maritime, Istanbul, of a significantincrease in the number of persons attempting to stowaway on vessels calling at Turkish ports.Turkey is the natural crossing point into Europe for refugees and economic migrants from Syria, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. However, due to the high level of security at Turkish border points, they often find that a land crossing into Europe is not possible. Therefore they may look for other ways to reach their intended destination.Due to thesignificant increase in the number of illegal immigrants attempting to cross into Europe, there has been a corresponding rise in stowaway attempts from Turkish ports, including Turkish Nationals. Given that security measures in some Turkish ports and terminals may not be as robust as at land border checkpoints, vessels should be particularly vigilant and ensure that all practicable steps are taken to prevent persons stowing away.Source: The West of England P&I Club