not provide work for him and the stowaway should not be signed on to the Ship’s Articles.
● The Member should immediately advise the Club of the above, together with:
– Full itinerary – Details of agents at future ports of call – Details of ship’s radio/fax/telex.
● The Club will agree a course of action with the Member and instruct local correspondents where necessary.
● 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.
Container trades
● Every situation must be examined in its own right, with major considerations being the safety of the vessel and crew, and the preservation of life.
● On discovering stowaways within containers, review the stow position and accessibility.
● Inform vessel operations of the known facts, with container number, stow position and load port, seeking directions.
● Urgent attempts must be made to communicate with the stowaways (consider tape recorded messages in various languages).
● Assess the situation. How many stowaways? What nationality? Try to determine their health. Do they present a threat to the vessel and crew? Do they require food and water? Consider drilling holes in the container to provide these, if feasible.
● Taking into consideration the safety of the ship and crew, as well as the stowaways, should the vessel divert? (Factors to be considered will include time since departure from load port, estimated time of arrival at destination, time to the nearest suitable port if ship diverts, can that port cater for the vessel and provide fast access to the container?).
● Liaise closely with owners’/carriers’ P&I Club. The master should not be expected to carry the entire burden. Each case must be reviewed on its own merits and decisions taken jointly.
● If the stowaways can be released from the container, are there sufficient crew to safely supervise them in a secure area?
No guidelines issued in advance can hope to cover all situations. In rare instances stowaways could be armed or be capable of violence towards the crew, or even
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outnumber the crew. The master in close liaison with the shipowner and the P&I Club will need to consider the safety of the ship and crew as well as the health and well-being of the stowaways and achieve a balance of interests.
Related UK Club material
The DVDs Any fool can stuff a container and Container matters provide a useful adjunct to this document, as does the Club’s publication
Book it right and pack it tight: shipping dangerous goods by sea (which includes a copy of Any fool can stuff a container). Members may order copies direct from the Club and non-members through Marisec Publications,
www.marisec.org.
Container Matters first appeared as a supplement to LP News 13, published in September 2000
Acknowledgements
The UK P&I Club would like to thank the following for contributing articles to this Container Matters document:
Containers – stuffing & stacking JR Knott – Independent marine consultant
Substandard components jeopardise cargoworthiness J Chubb – BMT Murray Fenton Edon Liddiard Vince Ltd
Carriage of refrigerated cargo M Sanderson Walker – P&O Nedlloyd Ltd
Refrigerated cargoes – recommendations for carriage instructions
R Heap – International Cold Chain Technology
Carriage of agricultural products in non-refrigerated containers
Dr M Jonas, Brookes Bell Jarrett Kirman
Shipping dangerous goods by sea – the hidden dangers M Compton – Ports Safety Organisation
Container crime M Hawkins – Signum Services Ltd
Container top safety J Nicholls – TTMS (UK) Ltd
Stowaways and containers G Daines – Thomas Miller P&I Ltd
Whilst the information given in this document is believed to be correct, the publishers do not guarantee its completeness or accuracy.
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