Container Ship Stowaway Arrested in Halifax

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has arrested a man that was allegedly stowed away on a container ship that reached Halifax on Monday.

An CBSA official reported that officers boarded the vessel at the Ceres terminal and apprehended the stowaway around 8 a.m. The man’s name, age and nationality, as well as his refugee status have not been revealed. He is currently being processed in compliance with Canadian law.

The arrestee was on board the Atlantic Concert, an Atlantic Container Lines’ ship, where he was also found and apprehended. The Swedish-flagged containership left England on March 26.

The CBSA was notified over the weekend that there was a possibility of a stowaway onboard. Canadian law states that shipping lines must pay a deposit of $25,000 per person, every time a stowaway is found on their vessel. The money is used to pay for possible medical treatments and for the cost of deporting the stowaways if their claim to stay in Canada is rejected. Any leftover money is returned to the company, according to a CBC News report.

Stowaways have been found on this same ship before. In February 2011, two men were arrested on board after the ship arrived from Liverpool. In April 2009, seven stowaways from North Africa were found on the ship when it docked in Halifax after a trip from Antwerp.