Stowaways : a threat to maritime security and the curse of shipowners.

Abstract

Stowing away is a means employed by people to get from one place to another without detection and without paying for passage. There are various reasons people stow away; some of which include, escaping from poverty, persecution and war. What stowaways see as a harmless means of getting to their destination, oftentimes, ends up creating unprecedented problems for shipowners. The shipping industry is equally affected, as stowaways represent a risk to maritime security. This dissertation explores the ways in which stowaways constitute a threat to maritime security, the dangers they pose to cargo and the operational safety of ships, the legal and financial problems they cause to shipowners, the dangers they unwittingly cause to themselves, how they are treated when they are discovered, the legality or otherwise of the stowaway removal process and the challenges encountered by shipowners during the disembarkation and repatriation process. To this end, some key research questions have been formulated, which the researcher attempts to answer throughout the dissertation. In the final chapter, the researcher will review the key research questions to determine whether they have been sufficiently answered or not.