Stowaways remain an expensive and time-consuming problem so far as Members and the Club are concerned. The number of stowaways continues to rise, as do the costs of repatriation, attributable in part to the cost of airfares and the more frequent requirement for escorts to accompany stowaways to comply with ever-increasing airline security measures.
Repatriation expenses may include the cost of securing and maintaining stowaways and deserters ashore provided that the Member has a legal liability to do so and the costs incurred are thought by the Club Managers to be reasonable. Note that the costs of watchmen which are incurred as a matter of routine in United States ports and elsewhere are regarded as operating costs and are not recoverable.
Set out below are some of the essential measures that should be taken when a stowaway is found on board a vessel:
- The immediate area in which the stowaway was discovered should be thoroughly searched for further stowaways, concealed ID/travel documents, weapons and drugs.
- The stowaway’s clothing should be searched for ID documentation, weapons and drugs.
- The vessel’s crew should ensure that the stowaway is kept in a secure place and that a crew-watch is maintained at all times. This is particularly important whilst the vessel is in a port as many ports, particularly in the US and Europe, may require shore guards to be posted in addition to on board security arrangements.
- The Club should be informed immediately of the presence of a stowaway and be given details of the vessel’s itinerary and agents at the next port of call. At this stage the Club should also receive a preliminary report as to the nationality of the stowaway and advice as to whether any ID documentation has been located on board.
- Large groups of stowaways should be separated where possible and in all cases a stowaway should be provided with food, water, clothing and bedding, as necessary.
- The stowaway should be interviewed by an officer in an attempt to obtain his or her personal details; the Club will provide specific questionnaires depending on the nationality of the stowaway. The stowaway should complete the questionnaire personally; then photographs and fingerprints should be obtained and immediately forwarded to the Club.
- While a stowaway is on board, he/she should not be put to work and should only be given restricted access to the vessel’s accommodation areas. The stowaway should not be allowed to become familiar with individual crewmembers.
- There is a responsibility on the part of the Master of the vessel to ensure the security, general health, welfare and safety of the stowaway until disembarkation.
Standards and recommended practices for dealing with stowaways have been adopted as amendments to the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL Convention) 1967.
Ships are to be thoroughly searched for stowaways on leaving high risk ports and measures taken to prevent stowaways secreting themselves on board are to be tightened, following the adoption by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) of new international standards and recommended practices to deal with the stowaway problem.
The Club recommends that additional security measures are implemented at ports within stowaway high-risk areas, which would include African ports such as Mombasa, Durban, Cape Town, Lagos, Abidjan, and Casablanca. Other problems areas include ports in South America, the Mediterranean (in particular Limassol) and Gulf ports such as Bandar Abbas.
In any case involving stowaways, deserters, refugees or persons rescued at sea make sure that the Club and its local correspondents are advised as soon as possible so that prompt steps can be taken to deal with the issues arising as efficiently as possible.
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