Seafarer Abandonment is in Crisis Says ITF, Calling it a Disgrace

Seafarer abandonment hit a record level in 2025, marking the sixth year in a row the number of vessels abandoned broke the record, and the fourth year in a row for seafarer abandonment. The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), which plans to present that data to the International Maritime Organization, is calling the situation a “disgrace,” while it has become a systemic issue in the industry.

“In 2025, we’ve yet again seen the worst year on record for seafarer abandonment. But this isn’t just a story about numbers, these are the people – the workers – who keep our economy moving forward, being forced into absolutely desperate situations, far from home and often without any clear resolution in sight,” said ITF General Secretary Stephen Cotton. Calling for the industry to come together and asserting “Enough is enough,” Cotton said, “The International Maritime Organization must be given more power to play a coordinating role in eradicating abandonment.”

According to the data released by the ITF, a total of 6,233 seafarers were abandoned across 410 ships in 2025. It reports that the number of ship abandonments was up 31 percent over 2024, while crew numbers were up 32 percent year-over-year.

Financially, the ITF reports that seafarers were owed a total of $25.8 million in pay from the abandonment cases in 2025. The union organization reports it was able to recoup $16.5 million for the seafarers.

“It’s nothing short of a disgrace that, yet again, we are seeing record numbers of seafarers abandoned by unscrupulous ship owners,” said David Heindel, Chair of the ITF Seafarers’ Section.

According to its data, the worst region for abandonment was the Middle East, followed by Europe. The highest number of abandonments happened in Turkey (61), followed by the United Arab Emirates (54). Loosely administered registries, which it calls flags of convenience, it says account for 82 percent of the cases with a total of 337 vessels abandoned in 2025.

The legal definition of abandonment, as contained in the Maritime Labor Convention, cites failure to pay contractual wages for at least two months. However, it can also be failing to cover a seafarer’s cost of repatriation, or failing to provide necessary support such as food and water.

The ITF says Indian seafarers were the worst-affected national group in 2025, as in 2024, with 1,125 seafarers abandoned. Filipino seafarers were the second-worst affected, with 539 abandoned, followed by Syrians with 309 abandoned.

It highlights the announcement of the Indian Government at the end of 2025, reporting that it will begin “blacklisting measures” to protect seafarers from ships with a record of repeat abandonments and other bad practices. The ITF wants others to follow the Indian example and establish a “national blacklisting” for ships to protect seafarers from repeat offenders. 

The ITF is calling for an industry-wide cooperation and the involvement of flag states to stop abandonment and owners’ ability to walk away from ships. It calls for a requirement for flag states to log the details of a ship’s beneficial owner, including contact details, as a precondition for registration. 

The labor organization looks to the IMO to discuss the issue and take action at its Legal Committee meeting in April. It also notes the effort of the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission, which is collecting information on loosely administered flags, and says others should follow suit with government investigations. Under the IMO regulations, flag states are responsible when the owners fail to meet their obligations.