STOWAWAY INCIDENTS REMAIN HIGH

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Published: 20 May 2025

In the first quarter of 2025 the Club has seen a high number of stowaway cases. Each successful boarding of a stowaway represents a failure in ships security, it can bring danger to the ship’s crew and can result in the death or injury of the stowaway(s) if they enter a dangerous location on the ship.  

As well as the safety aspect, stowaway incidents are expensive and often slow to resolve, resulting in substantial costs and disruption for the Member affected. Evidence suggests that the cost of resolving each stowaway claim is also increasing, with the cost to the Club in the first quarter, approaching the same as last year’s total. Also, the stowaways are often coming in larger groups, increasing the complexity of confining them if found and adding to the cost of repatriation 

These incidents can often result in substantial disruption to ships operations and may even result in punishment for the ship affected.

It is in everyone’s interest to deter and prevent stowaways from boarding. 

Although ships should always remain vigilant against the threat of stowaways, it is clear from review of reported incidents that any call at a port in Africa (particularly West Africa and North Africa) should be subject to heightened scrutiny.  

Common areas of access continue to be by the mooring lines, hawse pipes or entering the rudder trunk so these areas should be closely monitored.  

We recommend that Members sign up to receive the weekly security update that we issue in collaboration with Africa Risk Compliance (ARC) if not already doing so, to provide the latest information.  

The IMO GISIS Module can also be reviewed for reported cases of stowaways to provide additional insight on any developing trends.

The Club has produced substantial content on this subject, providing useful information on stowaway prevention and what to do if a stowaway is found. This includes a standalone section on our website, a webinar, and various pieces of practical information on shipboard security. The Club also issued a circular along with other members of the International Group with a questionnaire to be completed should a stowaway be found onboard, providing the information that will assist your claims handler in resolving the case as efficiently as possible. 

We encourage Members to review this information and enhance their own procedures as necessary. 

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