Tom Gorrard-Smith, of Clyde & Co, looks at a recent
court decision in which the court ruled that detention arising from
drug smuggling is an insured peril under Institute War and Strikes
Clauses Hulls 1/10/83
Thwarting the efforts of traffick-ers transporting drugs by
ocean is an increasingly difficult task for customs authorities
worldwide. With traffickers using more and more creative measures
to avoid seizure, the search methods now being adopted by
authorities to stem the flow of drugs being carried by ships are
now, in turn, increasingly extensive in their scope and often
involve delays to vessels while divers are engaged to undertake
underwater surveys.
In the last couple of years such underwater surveys have enabled
authorities to make significant seizures, in particular in 2013
when 101kg of cocaine with a street value of €7,000,000 was
found stuffed into a missile-shaped container attached to the hull
of the Delta Laguna, a Dutch cargo ship that has sailed
