Stowaways remain a persistent, costly problem for the shipping industry, particularly on trades off West Africa, Central America, Colombia, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. This guide covers what a stowaway is, how the risk has changed, the measures that reduce it, and what a master should consider when one is found, including the legal and humane-treatment duties that apply.
The 1965 Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (the FAL Convention) defines a stowaway as a person secreted on a ship, or in cargo later loaded onto it, without the consent of the owner, master or other responsible person, who is detected on board after departure (or in the cargo on arrival) and reported as a stowaway by the master to the authorities.
In practice these are usually people seeking a better life away from their country of origin. Risk is closely linked to a vessel's trade pattern, its cargo type, and the security training and awareness of the crew.
Reported cases fell after the ISPS Code came into force in 2004, but the longer trend points upward again. Reported figures across the industry:
| 2007 | 2011 | 2014 | 2017 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incidents | 842 | 774 | 503 | 432 |
| Stowaways | 1,955 | 1,640 | 1,274 | 1,420 |
| Total cost (US$m) | 14.3 | 15.3 | 9.3 | 9.5 |
| Cost per incident (US$k) | 17.0 | 19.8 | 18.5 | 22.0 |
| Stowaways per incident | 2.3 | 2.1 | 2.5 | 3.3 |
Fewer incidents, but more stowaways per incident and a rising cost per incident: the problem is concentrating, not disappearing.
Most stowaway losses are preventable with preparation. Before calling at a higher-risk port, consider:
Port security ranges from excellent to virtually non-existent, and the highest risk sits with ports and terminals where the ISPS Code is not being implemented. Where port defences are weak, the master and owner carry more of the prevention burden.
Detection at the port is genuinely hard. Searching every container is not feasible: soft-top units can be inspected easily, but standard steel-top containers cannot. Thermal cameras can read temperature differences inside a container, but many cargoes generate heat and stowaways have learned to defeat them by layering cardboard against the walls. Carbon-dioxide detectors are among the more effective tools in use, but are not infallible.
Knowing which ports fall short on ISPS implementation is exactly the kind of question Verihelm's port risk intelligence is built to answer.
When a stowaway is discovered, the master should begin planning for disembarkation and repatriation straight away, because travel documents take time and delay can mean carrying the stowaway to the next scheduled port.
How a crew treats a stowaway is both a legal and a human obligation, and getting it wrong has led to serious harm.
Instances of stowaways being mistreated, or even killed, after discovery led the IMO to issue guidelines that apply to all ports in all countries. Reference materials, including IMO Resolution A.871(20), are available on request.
Stowaway risk is a port-and-route question: which ports are weak on ISPS, where the trend is rising, and what that means for an upcoming call. Verihelm turns that into clear, analyst-verified port and voyage risk intelligence.