Mr Fruergaard said that in 2023, authorities discovered a staggering 167 tonnes of cocaine on board vessels in the region, with an estimated 50% of smuggled drugs remaining undetected. This translates to an estimated 1,100 tonnes of cocaine being transported out of South America and Latin America on ships each year. Pacific Basin Shipping spends more than US$3.5M annually on various security measures, including sniffer dogs, CCTV, drones and underwater divers to prevent drugs from being smuggled onto their ships in Brazilian ports.
He shared the harrowing story of a Pacific Basin Shipping captain who was detained in a jail in Honduras for two years after drugs were found on his ship, despite the vessel having arrived from the United States. Pacific Basin Shipping also has 10 crew members detained in Nigeria due to drugs being found on their ship.
His call was for a collaborative, industrywide approach to addressing the problem of drug smuggling. While individual companies can take steps to enhance their security measures, ultimately, the issue requires the involvement and co-operation of all stakeholders, including port authorities, terminal operators, customers and law enforcement agencies.
“We talk about decarbonisation and the importance of the crew, but it’s impossible to guarantee their security and they shouldn’t end up in jail for two years under any circumstances. If we don’t accept this industrywide challenge involving everyone in the supply chain, all we’re doing is ensuring the drug smugglers target the ship next door instead of ours. The flow of drugs won’t stop.”
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