IN an increasingly chaotic world in which many people suffer under repressive governments, miserable living conditions, and grinding poverty, it is no wonder that illegal immigrants and stowaways plague the world’s oceans. It seems everyone would rather be somewhere else and will use whatever means necessary to get there.
As a crewmember or passenger of a vessel, you should be aware of some dangers. The primary objective of a stowaway is to reach a location, not to make friends. To them, you are a means to an end, and if befriending you will help them achieve their goal they will do so. If turning on a Good Samaritan works to their benefit, they likely will. Before you strike up a conversation or offer to assist a stowaway, consider the following true story.
As related by Simon Hodgkinson, Head of Loss Prevention at West P&I, “seven male stowaways found aboard a bulk carrier after it had left Kenya were treated in accordance with IMO guidelines, but the situation became problematic once they struck up friendships with the seafarers. The mariners agreed to help them disembark the vessel at another port, while the Master failed to report to the shipowner that he had stowaways on board.
“On learning that their final destination was in South America, the stowaways planned to leave the ship in Durban and board another vessel heading elsewhere. In Durban, the crew gave the stowaways clothes and money, before rigging a rope on the seaward side of the vessel to enable the illegal passengers to enter the water without being spotted from ashore.
“The seven stowaways planned to swim to the opposite side of the shore, but two tragically drowned as they were not strong swimmers. The remaining men reached safety and handed themselves into the authorities. They then accused the crew of forcing them off the vessel and into the harbor, leading to the arrests of the ship’s Master and three crewmembers who were all charged with murder. Eventually, the charges were later reduced to manslaughter after it became clear the stowaways had embellished their story. However, the Master and three seafarers had clearly breached immigration law. They were eventually found guilty of assisting the stowaways and smuggling them ashore, which saw them receive suspended prison sentences and fines.”
So much for a helping hand. While striking up friendly conversation and offering to assist stowaways may seem like the humane thing to do, it can open you up to exploitation and even criminal liability. If you help someone hide from authorities or help them escape, if something bad should happen to them, you have become an accomplice. If they should die during their journey, you could be held responsible, even charged with murder. It would not be the first time.
After being caught, stowaways have accused their former helpers of everything from robbery to rape, all in attempt to leverage a better position for themselves. The bottom line is that stowaways are desperate enough to take a risky and illegal course of action. Exploiting others such as crewmembers and passengers is little compared to that.
The safest course of action, according to Simon Hodgkinson, is to “follow the IMO guidelines and instruct crewmembers to refrain from socializing with stowaways or granting them special favors. Additionally, the Master should notify the office immediately and provide as many details as possible if a stowaway is discovered onboard. Those details should then be forwarded to the company’s insurer at the first opportunity to expedite the repatriation process. This could involve returning to the stowaway’s country of origin, if this can be determined, or to proceed to a scheduled destination port. Either way, it is likely to be costly for the shipowner. Best not to add to those costs by putting crew and stowaways at further risk through misguided friendships.”
BC Cook, PhD lived on Saipan and has taught history for 20 years. He currently resides on the mainland U.S.
BC Cook
