Dear Shipowners, Managers and Masters,
We have received the attached letter from the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE), Southern Zone, through the Suez and Red Sea Chamber of Shipping. Please circulate it to your marine, security, operations and dangerous goods teams, as applicable, and take the necessary action for vessels calling at Egyptian ports.
- Prevention and handling of stowaway cases
SCZONE draws attention to the IMO Maritime Safety Committee report MSC.448(99)/Rev.1, dated 21 May 2026, concerning proposed guidelines to prevent stowaways from reaching ships and ports and to allocate responsibilities for resolving stowaway cases.
Shipowners and managers are requested to ensure that Masters and crews review ship access controls, security watches and pre-departure searches; promptly report any suspected or confirmed stowaway; and coordinate with the ship’s agent and the relevant port and security authorities. All cases must be handled in accordance with applicable international and national requirements.
- Amendments to the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code
The Chamber’s accompanying notice also refers to technical and administrative amendments to the IMDG Code. According to that notice, voluntary application is scheduled to begin on 1 January 2027, with mandatory application from 1 January 2028. Dangerous goods and compliance teams should review the amendments when the detailed notice is circulated and prepare any required updates to their procedures and documentation.
Please acknowledge receipt and confirm that this circular has been passed to the concerned personnel. Our operations team remains available to coordinate any port-specific requirements.
For easy reference, an English translation of the attached SCZONE letter follows below. The Arabic original governs in the event of any difference in interpretation.
English Translation of the Attached SCZONE Letter
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From: Suez Canal Economic Zone, Southern Zone
To: Chairman, Suez and Red Sea Chamber of Shipping
Dear Sir,
In the framework of continuing cooperation between the General Authority of the Suez Canal Economic Zone and your Chamber, we wish to inform you that, during its 111th session (MSC 111), the Maritime Safety Committee of the International Maritime Organization adopted report No. MSC.448(99)/Rev.1, dated 21 May 2026, concerning “Proposed guidelines for the prevention of access by stowaways and the allocation of responsibilities to seek the successful resolution of stowaway cases.” The guidelines aim to strengthen preventive measures against stowaways reaching ships and ports, identify responsibilities, and set out the procedures needed to deal with stowaway cases and resolve them promptly and effectively.
Please note that the above report, which can be accessed through the QR code in the attached letter, contains several guidelines and procedures concerning preventive measures to secure ports and ships and conduct searches to prevent stowaways from boarding. It also provides guidance on determining responsibilities and roles among the various parties, including shipowners, operators, port authorities and relevant agencies. It stresses the importance of cooperation and coordination among those parties to resolve stowaway cases as quickly as possible, in a manner that safeguards the rights of all concerned and complies with applicable international and national obligations.
The guidelines also include measures relating to cooperation between the various parties when a stowaway is discovered on board, including notification, coordination with the competent authorities, and determining the responsibilities and roles of the relevant parties.
Accordingly, please circulate the above to all shipowners and shipping agencies, emphasize the need to review the guidelines referred to, and ensure effective coordination among all concerned parties when dealing with stowaway cases.
Please accept our highest consideration.
Ahmed Gamal Metwally
Acting Vice Chairman of the General Authority for the Suez Canal Economic Zone, Southern Zone
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Best Regards
KADMAR Shipping