STEPS TO BE TAKEN IN THE EVENT OF THE DISCOVERY OF A STOWAWAY
IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE
After taking all appropriate steps to prevent stowaways gaining access in the first place, the immediate steps to be taken should a stowaway be discovered are :-
A) INFORM – the appropriate persons as per your Company Operating Procedures (e.g : Designated Person Ashore; P&I Club; Flag State etc)
B) GET HELP – follow all Guidance from the P&I Club
C) INVESTIGATE – the circumstances of the stowaway.
D) SAFETY – ensure the safety of the stowaway, following the required humanitarian steps but also being aware of P&I advice not to overly befriend the stowaway.
INFORMING PEOPLE AND GETTING HELP
In most cases, the key to a successful resolution of a stowaway problem will be your P&I Club – hence the need to ensure that contact with them is made as quickly as possible.
Although it is not a first priority, the IMO also requires statistical information about stowaways. It is believed that your FlagState is normally responsible for providing this – a point which should be clarified as and when time permits. If your procedures allow you to advise the IMO direct, please send a report to Mr Graham Mapplebeck, (Tel +44 207 587 3110) stating “Stowaway Statistical Return” in the subject line.
INVESTIGATING THE STOWAWAY – A STOWAWAY REPORT FORM (A.871)
Many authorities want the same pieces of information about the stowaway, hence keeping the information in a structured way may assist in the resolution of the case. The Facilitation Convention states that the responsibility of identifying stowaways is ultimately down to public authorities but masters are nevertheless urged to obtain as much information on the stowaway as possible.
These are the pieces of information that should be collected as per the IMO Resolution A.871 (20) dated 27 November 1997 :-
1. SHIP DETAILS
1.1 – Name of Ship :
1.2 – IMO Number :
1.3 – Flag :
1.4 – Company :
1.5 – Company address :
1.6 – Agent in next port :
1.7 – Agent address :
1.8 – IRCS :
1.9 – Inmarsat Number :
1.10 – Port of Registry :
1.11 – Name of Master :
2. STOWAWAY DETAILS - TIMELINE
2.1 – [Photograph of Stowaway]
2.2 - Place of Boarding
2.3 – Date / time found on board :
2.4 – Country of boarding :
2.5 – Time spent in country of boarding :
2.6 – Date/time of boarding :
2.7 – Intended port of destination :
2.8 - Intended final destination (if different) :
2.9 – Stated reasons for boarding the ship :
3. STOWAWAY DETAILS – PERSONAL DETAILS
3.1 – Surname :
3.2 – Given Name :
3.3 – Name by which known :
3.4 – Religion :
3.5 – Gender :
3.6 – Date of Birth :
3.7 – Place of Birth :
3.8 – Claimed nationality :
3.9 – Home address :
3.10 – Home town :
3.11 – Country of domicile :
3.12 – Profession(s) :
3.13 – Employer(s) names and addresses :
3.14 – Address in country of boarding :
3.15 – Marital status :
3.16 – Name of spouse :
3.17 – Nationality of spouse :
3.18 – Address of spouse :
3.19 – Names of parents :
3.20 – Nationality of parents :
3.21 – Address of parents :
4. STOWAWAY DETAILS – IDENTIFICATION DOCUMENTS
4.1 – ID document type
4.2 – Passport No:
4.3 – When issued :
4.4 – Where issued :
4.5 – Date of expiry :
4.6 – Issued by :
4.7 - ID Card No :
4.8 – When issued :
4.9 – Where issued :
4.10 – Date of expiry :
4.11 – Issued by :
4.12 – Seaman’s Book No :
4.13 – When issued
4.14 – Where issued
4.15 – Date of expiry
4.16 – Emergency Passport No :
4.17 – When issued :
4.18 – Where issued :
4.19 – Date of expiry :
4.20 – Issued by :
5. STOWAWAY DETAILS : PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
5.1 – Height (cm) :
5.2 – Weight (kg) :
5.3 – Complexion :
5.4 – Colour of eyes :
5.5 – Colour of hair :
5.6 – Form of head/face :
5.7 – Marks/characteristics :
5.8 – First language (spoken) :
5.9 – First language (read) :
5.10 – First language (written) :
5.11 – Other languages (spoken) :
5.12 – Other languages (read) :
5.13 – Other languages (written) :
6. OTHER DETAILS : Method of boarding, including other persons involved (e.g. crew, port workers etc) and whether they were secreted in cargo / container or hidden in the vessel :
7. OTHER DETAILS : Inventory of the stowaway’s possessions :
8. OTHER DETAILS : Was the stowaway assisted in boarding the vessel, or assisted by any member of the crew ? If so, was any payment made for this assistance ?
9. OTHER INFORMATION : Other information (e.g. names and addresses of colleagues, community leader, e.g. mayor, tribal chief, contacts in other parts of the world);
10. STATEMENT MADE BY THE STOWAWAY :
11. STATEMENT MADE BY THE MASTER : Including any observations on the credibility of the information provided by the stowaway :
12 : Date of the interview :
13. Stowaway signature and date :
14. Master’s signature and date :
15. NOT REQUESTED UNDER IMO RESOLUTION A.871, BUT HELPFUL IF THE ASSISTANCE OF THE IMO SFP IS REQUESTED :
15.1 – A record summarising the related events from the time the stowaway(s) was/were detected on board to the time of the request and in particular the efforts undertaken with a view to disembarking the stowaway(s) :
STOWAWAY FOCAL POINT : IF P&I / COMPANY / FLAG CANNOT RESOLVE
Clearly the main objective is to resolve the problem by landing the stowaway where he/she can be repatriated and processed by the authorities as quickly as possible and with due regard to the humanitarian ethos of the sea and International Law.
In March 2007, the IMO’s Facilitation Committee created a “Stowaway Focal Point” (SFP) to assist Masters when other forms of assistance have not been successful.
TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR THE SFP TRIAL (abridged)
1. The IMO Stowaway Focal Point will facilitate communications between the relevant Governments.
2. There will be a trial period of one year.
3. The SFP will be available during Working Hours (London Time), defined as 09:00 to 17:30. Monday to Friday during the Working Days of IMO.
4. Member States, international organizations and non-governmental organizations in consultative status may seek the assistance of the SFP. However, the consent of the flag state of the ship concerned will be required in the cases of requests made by international organizations and non-governmental organizations.
5. The IMO SFP should be sent the relevant information contained in Form A871 listed above.
6. The IMO assumes no liability.
7. There is no charge for using the SFP.
8. The primary function of the SFP is to provide assistance when the parties concerned have been unable to resolve such issues within the means available to them.
CONTACTING THE IMO SFP
Mr Julian Abril is the IMO SFP.
He can be reached on ; Telephone +44 207 587 3110
OTHER SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Facilitation Convention: The base document defining the roles and responsibilities of all parties – including the Contracting Governments which have signed it - is the IMO Facilitation Convention.
“Rescue at Sea”: a Guide to principles and practice as applied to migrants and refugees: a joint IMO/UNHCR leaflet.
IMO Statistics: IMO believes that there were 244 incidents involving 644 individuals in 2006 although most believe that this is a significant under-reporting of the total.