The Concept of Abandoned Sailors and the Impact on World Trade

Maritime careers are sometimes beset with dangers other than the ones you expect. One vessel was making its way down the Danube when it was raided by the Ukrainians under the impression that it was part of Russia’s shadow fleet running looted grain to third world countries. 

The chief officer of the ship had said that it was transporting popcorn from Moldova to Turkey. There is an anomaly here because he says he was sailing under the flag of Tanzania, owned by a Turkish company, when no paperwork provided to the Ukrainian authorities could verify. The crew were still, some five months down the line still on board. They have been told that they are free to leave but have not, and will not receive any pay and are reluctant to leave. The crew, obviously want a quick resolution, and they say they were not aware of any indiscretions that the ship had had before they embarked.

India is the second-largest supplier of maritime crew of commercial ships, and it also has the unfortunate record of having the most ‘abandoned seafarers’. This term is used to describe those who have been disowned by the ship’s owners, and the crew have no way of being repatriated, being sustained or receive a wage. This may mean that the crew have lost their money, sometimes having paid out for training certificates before undertaking the position, while also some pay agents before taking up the post for preferential treatment.

Unfortunately ships which operate under flags of convenience, where the owners are not always from the same country that the ship is registered, causes these potential difficulties. Where weak standards in crew safety and welfare exist, countries often fail to live up to the responsibilities of a genuine flag state. Dubious cargos can be carried where the real owners of the vessel can be obscured.

The International Transport Workers’ Federation say that in 2024, 90% of abandoned ships sail under a flag of convenience. The matter is complicated by the fact that sometimes owners, managers, flags and crews all come from different countries.

In India their authority, the DG or Directorate General of Shipping verifies the ships’ documents, their owners, the recruitment and placement agencies used to man the vessel, and this body is blamed for the poor scrutiny of stakeholders.

You must be watchful when looking to uptake a maritime job in the modern age and checking for discrepancies in contracts is a must.

One such example was an Indian-owned oil tanker, which had recently changed hands, and its new owner wanted it decommissioned. The crews’ salaries were consequently under dispute between the new and old owners. While sailing to its place of dismantlement, an Indian court ordered its seizure for non-payment of wages. The crew were then faced with abandonment and no way of eating, let alone their salaries and remuneration. This issue remains an incident for the courts as the dispute rolls on.

Hunger is obviously the worst problem that seafarers face when no move is evident for whichever party is sticking fast in the negotiations, but seamen themselves only want to get back to dry land, safety and their loved ones. The issue of payment lingers on.