We have continued to see an increase in stowaway cases, especially on offshore support vessels (OSVs). This is somewhat unusual as the nature of most OSVs tend to operate in and out of the same port, rather than traditional ‘bluewater’ vessels where the work is more transient. However, it may be that OSVs are regarded as “easier targets” than bluewater vessels due to their typically low freeboard.
The South African immigration authorities have issued a notice advising that if an illegal person is found on board a vessel, they will be classed as a stowaway rather than a trespasser if there is no definitive evidence to the contrary. The onus therefore rests on owners to prove with tangible evidence that the person boarded the vessel in South Africa. From experience, the immigration authorities do not consider statements from stowaways as credible and are equally unlikely to accept the crew’s word.
See attached file: South Africa: Dealing with Stowaways.pdf
南非：应对偷渡
协会注意到南非偷渡事件仍保持上升趋势，尤其是海供船。不同于传统远洋船舶，大部分海供船是在同一个港口作业，因此海供船上出现偷渡事件是比较罕见的。不过，由于海供船干舷低的特点，相比远洋船可能是“更容易的目标”。
南非移民当局已发布通知，如果在船上发现非法滞留人员，在无确凿相反证据的情况下，其将被视为偷渡者而非侵入者。因此，船东有义务提供实物证据，证明该人员在南非登船。从过往经验来看，移民当局既不相信偷渡人员的证词，也不接受船员的供词。
详细信息请参阅附件。
