britanniapandi.com In the first quarter of 2025 the Club has seen a high number of stowaway cases. Each successful boarding of a stowaway represents a failure in a ship’s security, it can bring danger to the ship’s crew and can result in the death or injury of the stowaway(s) if they enter a dangerous location on the ship. As well as the safety aspect, stowaway incidents are expensive and often slow to resolve, resulting in substantial costs and disruption for the Member affected. Evidence suggests that the cost of resolving each stowaway claim is also increasing, with the cost to the Club in the first quarter approaching the same as last year’s total. Also, stowaway incidents are often involving larger groups, increasing the complexity of confining stowaways if discovered and adding to the cost of repatriation. These incidents can often result in substantial disruption to a ship’s operations and may even result in punishments for the ship affected. IT IS IN EVERYONE’S INTEREST TO DETER AND PREVENT STOWAWAYS FROM BOARDING. Although ships should always remain vigilant against the threat of stowaways, it is clear from reviewing reported incidents that any call at a port in Africa (particularly West Africa and North Africa) should be subject to heightened scrutiny. Common areas of access continue to be by the mooring lines, hawse pipes or entering the rudder trunk so these areas should be closely monitored. If not already doing so, we recommend Members sign up to receive the weekly security update that we issue in collaboration with Africa Risk Compliance (ARC) for the latest information. The IMO GISIS Module can also be reviewed for reported cases of stowaways to provide additional insight on any developing trends. LOSS PREVENTION UPDATE STOWAWAY INCIDENTS REMAIN HIGH 1 // MAY 2025 britanniapandi.com 2 // MAY 2025 The Club has produced substantial content on stowaway incidents, providing useful information on prevention and what to do if a stowaway is found. This includes a standalone section on our website, a webinar, and various pieces of practical information on shipboard security. The Club also issued a circular, along with other members of the International Group, with a questionnaire to be completed should a stowaway be found on board. Providing this information will assist your claims handler in resolving the case as efficiently as possible. We encourage Members to review this information and enhance their own procedures as necessary. FURTHER INFORMATION For further information, please do not hesitate to email lossprevention@tindallriley.com. DISCLAIMER THIS LOSS PREVENTION UPDATE IS PUBLISHED BY THE BRITANNIA STEAM SHIP INSURANCE ASSOCIATION EUROPE (THE ASSOCIATION). Whilst the information is believed to be correct at the date of publication, the Association cannot, and does not, assume any responsibility for the completeness or accuracy of that information. The content of this publication does not constitute legal advice and Members should always contact the Association for specific advice on a particular matter.