Samenvatting

“Biggest cocaine seizure ever in the Port of Antwerp”. (Bervoet, 2020) On the 5th of November 2020, the Belgian newspaper ‘De Tijd’ wrote about a record seizure of cocaine in the port of Antwerp. The illicit drug trafficking is a problem since many years which seems not to get solved.

The main question of this research is: “What does the prevention policy on board of ships looks like in order to counter drug transport?”. In order to be able to formulate a clear answer to this question, the following sub-questions have been formulated:
- What is the vulnerability of container shipping?
- To what extent do crew members encounter these drug-related activities?
- What are the consequences for ship and ship owner when drugs are found on board?

This research is focussed on the cocaine trafficking between Central America and Europe. Cocaine is a stimulating substance produced from the leaves of the coca bush and is mainly consumed as a powder.
The maritime container transport has developed significantly where the biggest container vessels are able to load up to 21 000 containers. This type of maritime transport is the most popular target for criminal organisations to transport their drugs to another continent. The amount of seized cocaine in the port of Antwerp was 14 times bigger in 2020 compared to 2013. Cocaine is transported in many ways by containers. They are either stowed at the entrance of the container and removed by a corrupt port employee (rip-on/rip-off), or the drugs are being switched from one container to another (switch), or they are hidden in legitimate cargo inside the container or hidden in the container’s structure.
In Central America Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Mexico are the ports with the highest risk factor. In Europe the most cocaine is seized in Belgium, Spain, and The Netherlands. The drugs seized in these European ports have their origin in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru.
This research is done by own observations and taking a survey from crewmembers who sailed on a container vessel with her port of call in either Central America or Europe. A sample was taken at regular intervals to check the presence of the seals. A final answer on the main question was formulated by collecting and analysing this data.
After research it can be said that the main drug trafficking problem is situated in the ports, and not on board the vessels. Container vessels can be considered as victim of their own cargo, being containers. Containers have cargo inside which is declared by the transporter but no other party than customs can really check what the actual cargo is during its transportation. After 5 years of experience on container vessels, crewmembers are most likely to be on board when drugs are found either inside the cargo or hidden on or attached to the vessel. If no crewmembers are involved in this drug trafficking, the consequences remain almost nihil for both crew and shipowners.
It is recommended to keep investing in making crewmembers aware on the dangerous consequences of their involvement in drug trafficking. In high-risk ports an additional watchkeeper responsible for the vessel’s security can be taken into consideration or any apparatus which can monitor the vessel’s hull, especially on the seaside when at the berth.