The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has established that the majority of the cocaine trade around the world is undertaken through transportation by sea. In recent years, shipowners and crew have, at an increasing rate, unwittingly and almost always innocently been caught up in efforts by the authorities to prosecute those involved in smuggling. These recent detentions have highlighted the need for the shipping industry to continue with its efforts towards preventing the smuggling of illegal narcotics by sea in order to attempt to reduce impact on shipowners and seafarers.

In this regard, ICS has been pursuing various streams of work and would like to share that the following resources are now available:

1. An online resource hub hosting loss prevention guidance received from P&I correspondents in Latin American ports on the smuggling of illegal narcotics at sea:

Preventing the Smuggling of Illegal Narcotics by Sea | International Chamber of Shipping

2. An updated webpage providing information on recent cases and work being done to further the fair treatment of seafarers caught up in drug trafficking incidents:

Drug Trafficking in the Global Supply Chain | International Chamber of Shipping

3. A new edition of the ICS Guide to Drug Trafficking and Drug Abuse on Board Ship:

Drug Trafficking and Drug Abuse On Board Ship | ICS Publications

Members are invited to make use of the new resources linked above, which will provide the most up-to-date information on this topic and offer shipowners some guidance as to how they might mitigate against the impact of the smuggling of illegal narcotics by sea.

Any comments and questions on any of the above may be addressed to, Kiran Khosla, Secretary, Maritime Law Committee at legal@ics-shipping.org