Stowaways Create Headaches for European Freight Carriers

December 6, 2000 10:12 AM, EST

LONDON — International efforts to staunch the flow of illegal immigrants are gaining steam as European and Asian authorities step up efforts to track down those who help smuggle stowaways on freight transportation.

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But some say more still needs to be done and not just on enforcement.

Europe is the epicenter for stowaways but it is not alone in dealing with the problem of illegal human freight. In the United States, other than the Mexican immigrants who travel by land, overseas stowaways are most likely to come from China stashed in the containers aboard steamships. Trucks are not involved in this immigration but ocean containers are.

A good example is the 26 Chinese found on Oct. 20 by customs officials in Hong Kong. The immigrants were hiding in a container bound for the Port of Los Angeles-Long Beach in California.

For the full story, see the Dec. 4 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.