Stowaways On Ships – Classification And Measures To Prevent

Wikipedia defines a stowaway as a person who secretly boards a vehicle, such as a ship, an aircraft, a train, a cargo truck or a bus, to travel without paying and without being detected.

According to the convention for Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic, a stowaway on a ship is someone who boards the vessel without the consent of the shipowner, the master or any other responsible person and is found after the ship has left the port of call or during the unloading process at the port of arrival.

Ship captains and crew should be alert when operating in high-risk areas to prevent stowaways from getting access to the ship.

On a vessel, a stowaway might hide in the cargo holds, engine room, containers etc., to prevent others from identifying him. However, if found, the captain must search his belongings for any documents to know his identity and nationality.

Individuals stow away on ships for a variety of reasons, but mainly, they do so for the following reasons:

• To leave a region of conflict (for example, the current exodus from a lot of conflict-ridden countries)
• Social or