The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) has condemned Middle East Marine for what it believes is the worst case of serial seafarer abandonment ever seen.
The organisation says the company has abused and neglected over 100 seafarers.
“Today, the ITF is calling on the United Arab Emirates government and the Palau maritime authorities to act to end seafarers’ suffering and uphold international maritime and human rights law.”
Ironically, on its website, the company says its mission statement is to comply with applicable statutory and regulatory requirements and continually improve the effectiveness of the system by setting quality objectives.
It also commits to creating “an environment that fosters employee motivation and builds team spirit”.
Since November 2022, the ITF has reported over 17 abandonments across 18 vessels in Bangladesh, India, the Maldives and Sri Lanka.
Seafarers from India, Indonesia and Myanmar have been left in dire conditions including the provision of dirty drinking water, lack of food, withholding of passports and medication, refusing ill crew hospital visits, and unpaid wages. Acts considered human and labour rights abuses, according to the ITF.
One seafarer from Indonesia said: “My salary hasn’t been paid for more than three months – but there are some crew members unpaid for as long as seven months.
“The company did not supply provisions and fresh water – sometimes we were just fishing for survival. All crew members are getting depressed, and our families are getting in debt to survive.”
Under international law – the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, as amended – seafarers should be paid at least once a month. Crews owed two months or more of pay or who are not provided with sufficient food, water and fuel are considered to have been abandoned, which should trigger action by insurers and the ship’s Flag State – the country where the ship is registered – in this case Palau.
The ITF has not received a response from the Palau maritime authorities, despite the urgency of the situation seafarers and their families are facing.
“Seafarers’ lives are not collateral for any company,” said Steve Trowsdale, ITF's inspectorate coordinator. “We are extremely concerned about the welfare of the crews affected by Middle East Marine’s woeful business and the sheer scale of the abandonments.”
