200848 Stowaways

Source UK P&I Club: www.ukpandi.com

Many stowaways give themselves up once the vessel is at sea. For a vessel discovering stowaways, the priority is for them to be disembarked at the next port of call. The Master should therefore immediately inform the owner's P&I club or the nearest correspondent so that international formalities can be completed as soon as possible.
In addition, the Master should be guided by the following:

Search the area where the stowaway was found for concealed documents etc;
Search the stowaway's clothing;
Interview the stowaway and immediately advise the owner, P&I club and the agents at the next port of call of the following recommendations:
• Port of embarkation
• Details of documents held
• Name
• Date and place of birth
• Address
• Nationality
Photograph the stowaway in order to speed the acquisition of travel documents. If digital photography is available, it may be possible to email the images to the agent or the P&I club's correspondent at the ship's next port of call.
Keep the stowaway secure at all times, particularly when the ship is in port.
While the stowaway is on board, the Master should not provide work for the stowaway and the person must not be signed on to the ship's articles.
The company should immediately advise the P&I club of the above, together with: full itinerary; details of agents at future ports of call; and contact details of ship.

Masters should always bear in mind that stowaways frequently give false details in order to delay their removal from the ship. If the Master believes that the stowaway is not telling the truth, he should so report. On discovering stowaways within containers, the Master should inform the owners, P&I club correspondent, agents, the terminal and authorities at the load port, giving the container number, stow position and accessibility.

Urgent attempts must be made to communicate with the stowaways (if possible, record these conversations after determining the most suitable common language). Consider the following points in assessing the situation:

Number of stowaways;
Nationalities;
Health status;
Threat to the vessel and crew;
Requirements for food and water; consider drilling holes in the container to provide these, if feasible;
If practicable, divert the vessel to the nearest suitable port that can cater for the vessel and provide fast access to the container;
If the stowaways can be released from the container, ensure there are sufficient crew members to supervise them safely in a secure area;
Stowaways could be armed or be capable of violence towards the crew, or even outnumber them;
Liaise closely with the company and P&I club so that decisions are made jointly in the best interests of the safety of the ship and crew as well as the health and well-being of the stowaways.