STOWAWAY

Inside Out uncovers security loopholes in ferry travel

In today's world of worry and speculation over terrorism, you expect to undergo more thorough security checks when travelling. But Inside Out discovers some shocking security loopholes on the North Sea ferry route from Rotterdam to Hull.

Earlier in 2004, Inside Out Yorkshire & Lincolnshire uncovered security failings at Humberside Airport.

Now, it seems there are similar failings on the North Sea ferry route.

Inside Out reveals stowaways are not just a thing from adventure novels anymore - they are a reality.

Getting aboard

Around 3,000 people use the ferry route from Hull to Rotterdam every day, with a similar number travelling to Zeebrugge in Belgium.

The route is popular not just for business travellers, but also holiday-makers from the north.

With so many travellers using the service, added security measures have been put into place, but as Inside Out discovered, they are not always implemented.

Passport checks should be mandatory when travelling to another country

An undercover researcher working for Inside Out set out to discover how easy it would be to stowaway to the UK.

He wanted to see if he could board the "Pride of Hull" ferry in Holland, and enter the UK illegally.

Most sailings along the Hull to Rotterdam route are carried out overnight, so our researcher made his way to the Europort terminal at around 7pm, expecting tough security onboard.

Instead, he was able to pass through security and mingle for 45 minutes with coach and lorry drivers who had already gone through their pre-boarding checks.

Despite carrying concealed camera equipment, which would have shown up had he gone through the appropriate security checks, our researcher snuck through unchallenged.

He made his way through an unguarded door and at one point walked straight past two Dutch Royal Marines who were screening cars boarding the ferry.

And so, the researcher was able to access any areas of the ship he wanted without so much as a second glance from security officials.

A one off?

Surely the incident must have been a one off?

Morland Sanders was shocked when he wasn't discovered

Sadly, it seems not.

On the same ferry crossing Inside Out's Morland Sanders was also able to dodge the system.

He passed through Hull security without undergoing any passport or customs checks.

Morland actually spent over an hour hiding in the boot of a car that was on the ferry.

When the car disembarked at Hull it was simply allowed to drive through the immigration checkpoint.

If correct security measures had been in place, Morland would have been discovered in an instant.

Lifting the lid

In October 2003, 24 asylum seekers entered the UK via Hull's ports in just four days.

Eight of the travellers were hidden in a lorry, a further 16 in a shipping container.

At the time it was said the smugglers chose Hull due to increased security elsewhere in the country.

Beverley Hughes was keen to increase security measures at UK ports

In the wake of the security breach, then Immigration Minister, Beverley Hughes, ordered tighter security measures be put in place.

It is surprising then, just how easily Inside Out breached security measures at Hull.

We showed the tape to security expert David Jones, who said flaws in security at Rotterdam had clearly compromised the safety of the ferry and its passengers.

"It's quite serious. It's almost an open invitation for worse things to happen.

"You have got someone present who hasn't been checked and whose bag hasn't been checked - he could have been anyone from a petty thief to a terrorist," he warns.

Secure force

Dodging security systems on the Hull to Rotterdam route wasn't thanks to sneaky tactics.

It was the lack of implementation of procedures that allowed Inside Out to pass through unchecked.

In fact, the technology put in place at various ports around the country is state of the art. It includes:

• Carbon dioxide detection - Guards search lorries or containers with a CO2 detector, which looks like a ski pole with a box on it. The detector will highlight the presence of human breath

• Scanners - Scanning machines x-ray the contents of a container or truck to check for stowaways

• Heartbeat detectors - Hardware that can "hear" the sound of a heartbeat using seismic sensors

Scanners can detect any humans onboard lorries or vans

These methods, alongside the searching of all cars and trucks onboard the ferry and mandatory passport checks for all passengers, should be keeping us safe.

"We are not complacent… We have to ensure we stay one step ahead of the criminal gangs who traffic people across Europe," Beverley Hughes commented in February 2004.

But it seems security staff are being complacent if Inside Out's investigation is anything to go by.

The future

With continual security breaches taking place around the UK we may be destined to carry identity cards.

A pilot scheme was launched in April 2004 where 10,000 volunteers were invited to use the cards, which hold biometric information such as iris scans, finger prints and facial recognition.

The cards are expected to take over from other forms of ID and supporters say they will make life easier for officials and security staff by being almost "foolproof".

But surely part of the problem is the enforcement of security devices already in place?

As for the security on the North Sea ferry route, only time will tell whether it improves, but certainly Inside Out's investigation has highlighted the need for action.