In May 2019, a meeting took place between Professor Volodymyr Torskiy, FNI Honorary Secretary of the Nautical Institute of Ukraine, and Messrs Joseph Escott, Senior Business Consultant at DV55 Ltd, and Captain Dmytro Rudenko, MNI Senior Advisor at the International Association of Risk Management Practitioners.

The meeting, which took place at the office of the NIU, based in National University of Odessa Maritime Academy, was arranged to discuss several issues related to the ongoing problem of stowaways onboard seagoing vessels.

The presence of stowaways onboard a ship has serious implications and consequences for the shipowner, master, and the crew. For example, the ship could be delayed in port while arrangements are made to repatriate the individuals concerned. The repatriation of stowaways is a complex, costly and time-consuming processes involving masters, ship owners, port authorities, agents and governmental officers.

In addition to the financial implications for the shipping company, there is also the question of who is responsible for the health, safety, and welfare of the stowaways while they are onboard ship. This responsibility invariably falls to the ship’s master and crew until such
times the stowaway/s can be repatriated.

It is the issue of stowaway management that co-authors Messrs Joseph Escott and Captain Dmytro Rudenko try to address in their recently published Stowaway Management Workshop Course Book.

‘The purpose behind the Stowaway Management Workshop’ said Joseph, a lecturer in business communications, ‘is to offer practical advice on some of the issues that the master and his crew may encounter when managing the health, safety, and welfare of stowaways onboard their vessel.’ Joseph went onto say ‘Much of the workshop relies heavily on scenario-based learning techniques – present, practice and perform. The idea behind scenario-based learning is to replicate events where the participant is required to use critical reasoning skills to solve issues and problems they may encounter with stowaways placed into their care.’

Professor Volodymyr Torskiy, a pre-eminent authority on ship safety at sea became interested in the Stowaway Management Workshop project earlier this year when Capt. Dmytro Rudenko, a ship’s master himself, asked for his guidance on some of the scenarios which were being developed for the program.

Showing interest in the work produced by Messrs Escott and Rudenko, Professor Volodymyr Torskiy would like to see the Stowaway Management Workshop become mandatory training for all mariners, and is actively seeking to promote the project through the offices of the Ukrainian Branch of the Nautical Institute. ‘This is seminal work done by two professionals, one a graduate of the Maritime Academy in Odessa, which will be of interest to the shipping industry for generations to come’, said Professor Torskiy. ‘And more importantly, it is seminal which has originated here in Ukraine, which in turn highlights the commitment of Ukrainian seafarers to the industry they serve.’