The problem of stowaways on board merchant ships: Experience with ROPAX ships in Spanish ports.

Abstract

Throughout this work we will discuss many of the problems of the so-called stowaways, their definition, why they embark clandestinely on ships, what are their most common ways of accessing the ships, the risks they run when trying to do so, etc.

On the one hand, we will also find the law on maritime navigation which regulates the status of stowaways.

On the other hand, we will explain what maritime security is, how security levels are established and who decides what levels ports and their vessels are at, what means would be used to communicate these changes, etc.

We will also talk about some of the ports with the highest number of stowaways, from personal experience, providing images to get an idea of what each port we are talking about is like and also adding a small personal contribution of some things that could have been changed or implemented during the time of the highest number of stowaways in the ports.