Cases of seafarers abandoned by shipowners without money, support, or the means to get home have reached alarming levels around the world, according to Stella Maris.
According to Stella Maris, the rise in the number of distressing cases in the sector has become a humanitarian crisis with many seafarers suffering mental issues as they struggle to find a way to resolve their parlous situation. Data from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) highlights the huge rise in abandonment cases, which occur when shipowners withhold wages, repatriation, and even basic needs such as food, accommodation and medical care.
In just 10 years, known cases have soared from little more than a dozen-a-year to 143 in 2023 with more than 100 cases already reported in 2024, Stella Maris notes.
We are seeing a continued growth in the number of cases reported and the number of seafarers involved. Each year we see a wider range of flags and locations involved in abandonments which shows that this is an industry wide problem.
… ITF’s Inspectorate Coordinator, Steve Trowsdale, said to SAFETY4SEA, highlighting that sanctions need to be applied to shipowners and operators who consistently fail to adhere to the requirements of international labour and safety laws, or to seafarer’s employment agreements.
Stella Maris CEO Tim Hill aldo urged industry-wide unity to enforce international laws, hold negligent companies accountable, and provide immediate assistance to abandoned seafarers.
We ask those companies and organizations which benefit from the maritime industry, such as major retailers, to join us to put a stop to abandonment.
… said Deacon Joseph O’Donnell, Stella Maris Senior Area Port Chaplain for Scotland and Northern Ireland
As Stella Maris notes, another key challenge lies in addressing the role of unlicensed agents and formal recruitment agencies in labor supply countries, promising conditions that often fail to materialize. Deacon O’Donnell underscored the importance of cutting out unlicensed agents, regulating formal recruiters, and implementing skilled work visas to address this issue effectively.
In recent years, Stella Maris has supported other abandoned seafarers and fishers in countries around the world such as Kenya and Taiwan. Its team in Taiwan supported the crew of eight Indonesians on a cargo ship abandoned in Kaohsiung port, who needed provisions and help to return home to their families. Its team in Kenya supported crew members on an abandoned fishing vessel in Mombasa port for over a year with food, water and Wi-Fi.
Margaret Masibo, the Stella Maris chaplain in Mombasa, Kenya, recalls: “Men were crying, others were shouting, some had withdrawn into silence. For several days, they’d had no food or fresh water. They were starving to death. Since the ship had been abandoned, not a single person had stepped on board to help – until I did. The men had no money and couldn’t disembark because they didn’t have papers to be in Kenya. It was a terrible, heart-breaking sight to see people abandoned so carelessly.”
Reporting
With the support of the International Ship Suppliers’ Association (ISSA), ILO and IMO have established a joint database on reported incidents of abandonment of seafarers. The database can be accessed here.
A Member State or an organization accredited to ILO or IMO is entitled to report an abandonment incident. The following stakeholders are consequently entitled to report to the database:
- Flag States may report cases of abandonment in their jurisdictions. The State the flag of which the abandoned vessel is flying has the primary responsibility to repatriate the abandoned seafarer or fisher if the shipowner fails to make arrangements for, or to meet the cost of, repatriation.
- Port States may report cases of abandonment in their jurisdictions. The State in the port of which the abandoned vessel is situated has a secondary responsibility to repatriate the abandoned seafarer or fisher.
- Labour-supplying States may report cases of abandonment in their jurisdictions. The country of nationality of the abandoned seafarer or fisher also has a responsibility to repatriate the abandoned seafarer or fisher if the flag or port States fail to do so.
- NGOs with consultative or observer status in IMO or ILO.
