Stowaways, migrants and refugees

This course is designed to provide guidance on the prevention and processing of stowaways and the handling of migrants and refugees rescued at sea.

The cost of stowaways to the maritime industry was estimated in 2008 at over US$20 million a year. Both natural and man-made disasters continue also to drive people to seek a better life in what they perceive as richer or safer countries by crossing dangerous waterways, often in unseaworthy and ill-equipped craft. Merchant vessels are frequently caught up in these situations and their masters, officers and crews are then faced with a series of difficult decisions and challenging administrative and legal processes.

Learning objectives:

• Definitions
• Stowaways discovered at sea
• Rescue of migrants and refugees at sea
• Prevention of stowaways
• Agencies, conventions and responsibilities
• Disembarkation and repatriation