ILO records 390 cases of seafarer abandonment

The International Labour Organization (ILO) has recorded 390 cases of abandonment of seafarers in 2025, according to the joint IMO/ILO database.

Of the cases reported, 224 have been resolved, while the remaining incidents are classified as unresolved (90), disputed (69), or inactive (seven). The figures underscore ongoing challenges in enforcing existing protections and ensuring timely resolution for affected crews.

Since the database was established in 2004, it has logged a total of 1,537 abandonment incidents, affecting 3,581 seafarers from 191 nationalities, highlighting the persistent and systemic nature of the issue.

Under the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), a seafarer is considered abandoned when a shipowner fails to provide repatriation, leaves the crew without necessary support or maintenance, or stops paying contractual wages for a period of at least two months. The MLC establishes a legal framework designed to protect seafarers from being stranded by irresponsible shipowners, ensuring access to assistance, financial security, and repatriation.

However, the human cost of abandonment remains severe. Abandoned seafarers are often stranded for months without wages, adequate food, or medical care. Many are unable to leave vessels due to immigration restrictions and are forced to rely on charities and welfare organizations for survival.

According to industry stakeholders, several factors continue to contribute to abandonment cases, including weak enforcement by flag and port States, insufficient insurance coverage for vessels, and shipowners refusing to accept responsibility for crew welfare. These shortcomings, critics argue, are not merely administrative failures but structural weaknesses that allow exploitation to persist.

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) has repeatedly warned about the scale of the problem. In mid-2025, the ITF reported that over 2,280 seafarers were abandoned aboard 222 vessels during the first half of the previous year, with $13.1 million in unpaid wages, representing a 30per cent year-on-year increase in cases. The federation stressed that Gulf States—particularly the United Arab Emirates, where many cases have been reported—as well as European States, must strengthen efforts to hold shipowners accountable and prevent abandonments in or near their ports.

Regionally, following the Arab World, Türkiye accounted for a significant number of cases, more than double those reported in the Asia-Pacific region. The ITF has pointed out that Türkiye has not ratified the Maritime Labour Convention, raising concerns about regulatory gaps. The ITF’s 2024 report also identified Panama (43), Palau (37), Tanzania (30), and Comoros (29) as the worst-performing flag States in terms of abandonment cases.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, abandonment cases have shown another troubling increase. In 2020, 85 cases were reported, of which 55 have been resolved, while in 2021, 95 cases were recorded, with only 64 resolved to date. Approximately 21 cases reported since January 2020 were directly linked to the pandemic, exacerbating the crew change crisis and placing additional strain on seafarers worldwide.

In response to the growing problem, the IMO and ILO adopted new measures in 2022 aimed at improving conditions for abandoned seafarers. These guidelines focus on enhancing coordination among flag States, port States, seafarers’ home States, and recruitment service States to accelerate case resolution, ensure payment of outstanding wages, and facilitate repatriation. Also, in 2023, the IMO adopted resolution (LEG.6(110)) during the IMO Legal Committee, 110th ,to provide Guidelines for port State and flag State authorities on how to deal with seafarer abandonment cases.

Further strengthening the regulatory framework, new amendments to the Maritime Labour Convention entered into force in December 2024. These amendments enable member states to facilitate the prompt repatriation of abandoned seafarers and enhance cooperation to ensure that replacement seafarers engaged on affected ships are fully protected and granted their rights and entitlements under the MLC, 2006.

Despite these measures, the ILO figures indicate that abandonment remains a critical challenge for the maritime industry; one that continues to test the effectiveness of enforcement mechanisms and the commitment of stakeholders to safeguarding seafarers’ rights.

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