More than 2 280 seafarers have been abandoned aboard 222 vessels so far this year, marking a 30% annual increase in cases, according to the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).
The latest data released by the ITF reveals yet another disturbing surge in the abandonment of seafarers worldwide, with unpaid wages totalling $13.1 million for the period.
According to the union, so far in 2025, at least 2 286 seafarers on 222 vessels have been left stranded, often without pay, food or medical support.
By comparison, at this point in 2024, already the worst year on record for seafarer abandonment, there had been 172 cases involving 1 838 seafarers and $11.5m in unpaid wages.
Some 37% of abandonment cases occurred in the Arab World, the highest proportion of any region globally in 2025, while 34% took place in Europe, the majority in Türkiye, which is yet to ratify the Maritime Labour Convention. Asia Pacific is the next highest region.
The ITF has called on Gulf states, particularly the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and European states to do more to hold shipowners accountable and prevent abandonments in or near their ports.
“We are seeing a pattern of abuse that cannot be ignored and that must be confronted,” ITF inspectorate coordinator Steve Trowsdale said.
“In recent years, the Gulf region, and the UAE in particular, has seen a huge increase in seafarer abandonment cases. Both there and in Europe, much more must be done to crack down on the rogue shipowners who need to know there’ll be consequences.
“Every single case of abandonment is a disgrace. It’s an intentional abuse of human rights, and the failure to end abandonment exposes a systemic problem in the maritime industry,” he said.
‘Abandonment’ has a specific definition under international law, meaning many of the cases involve seafarers being denied pay for two months or more, or being left stranded, or left without food or medical support.
The figures also highlight the structural enablers of abandonment. The Flags of Convenience (FOC) system remains central to the crisis. Vessels registered under FOC states, such as St. Kitts & Nevis (26), Tanzania (26) and Comoros (18) dominate the abandonment lists. These flags offer owners anonymity, deregulation and immunity from scrutiny – at the direct expense of seafarer rights.
Nearly 75% of abandoned vessels in 2025 so far are under FOCs. These flag states routinely fail to enforce international obligations or pursue shipowners who dump their responsibilities at the first sign of financial trouble.
“The FOC system is parasitic on the maritime industry,” Trowsdale said.
“It allows shipowners to hide behind paper jurisdictions while seafarers are left abandoned on rusting hulls. And when countries enable these crimes by looking the other way – or worse, profiting from them – they become complicit.”
The ITF has called on international regulators, port states, and the International Maritime Organization to take urgent action.
A lack of enforcement and responsiveness from flag and port states, the absence of adequate insurance for vessels, and shipowners refusing to accept responsibility for crew welfare were common factors that contributed to abandonment, the ITF said. It added that these failures were not just administrative gaps, they were enabling an industry where seafarers were discarded when no longer convenient.
“There must be accountability. If we allow this exploitation to continue, we destroy the very workforce global trade depends on,” Trowsdale said.
