Seafarer abandonment is rising, leading to unacceptable hardship for thousands of mariners in recent years, a new report by Right Ship has shown.
According to the 2023 Seafarer Abandonment report, which aims to end the act of uncourageous captains abandoning vessels and leaving crew to perish, the number of cases of seafarer abandonment is rising. As of January 31, abandoned seafarers numbered 9 925 over the last 20 years in cases involving 703 vessels.
Not limited by geography, seafarer abandonment takes place across all continents, with 106 countries and 85 flag states involved. Countries where seafarer abandonment cases have been recorded over the past 20 years include United Arab Emirates (89), Spain (45), Turkey (37), Iran (34), Italy (25), India (24), France (22), China (17) and Greece (14).
Right Ship CEO, Steen Lund, said the organisation tackled seafarer abandonment because it was critical to the security of the maritime industry and its reputation. He blamed instances of vessel abandonment on capitalism.
“When seafarer abandonment still happens, it is largely down to the ruthlessness of capitalism. Wanting to eliminate the issue means putting in place your best management practices to stop it. You can do it,” Lund said.
According to the report, mariners deliver 90% of the world’s cargo. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) defines abandonment as when a shipowner can’t cover the cost of a seafarer’s repatriation and fails to pay wages for at least two months, leaving seafarers without maintenance and support, or otherwise severs ties with the crew.
Types of vessels abandoned vary widely. General cargo ships (31.2%), bulk carriers (8.2%) and chemical products/tankers (7.2%) top the list of 60 vessel descriptions. What is concerning, the report noted, was that some of these vessels are abandoned twice, and others are unidentifiable, even though it’s clear they exist.
Troubles arise for seafarers, shipowners and managers when parties face conditions such as bankruptcy from under-costing a voyage, costing repairs on older vessels when it is cheaper to abandon them, the isolation of extreme events like the Covid-19 pandemic, combatting uprisings aboard, and facing mutiny.
“As an organisation focused on zero harm in the maritime industry, we want to drive change and endorse those who highlight and act against the substandard and inhumane social acts currently occurring at sea. The data we collect and share helps the maritime industry to identify those operators who have little, or no interest, in the welfare of their crew, enabling us to make others aware of their behaviour,” Ship Right said.
There are currently 247 IMO abandonment cases, of which 96 are open and 141 are currently in dispute state. A total of 3 657 seafarers are waiting for owed wages of $11 464 per seafarer for 5.7 months of service. Ship Right said that under abandonment, financial losses caused the mental well-being of seafarers to suffer. Seafarers face not being able to repay training contracts and incur contractual debt. They also feel extremely daunted when engaged in legal battles for payments and are not always familiar with international legal systems.
“Seafarers are left suffering without food, water, supplies, medicine, or the ability to reach shore and contact anyone. Pressures are felt by seafarers from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and origins, who hail from poorer countries – and they are unable to alert anyone at home that they’re cut off, and now can’t send money,” the report noted. It is also difficult to survive in unsafe conditions without power and services.
“If cut adrift, seafarers can be lost at sea and left to perish. An individual can be legally bound to remain in charge of the vessel, alone.” Seafarers also had to reapply for their documentation, such as technical certificates, visas and passports, if these expire while they are at sea, or if the documents are held by the ship’s management.
“The composition of the world's seafarers includes many from island states and countries at an economic disadvantage, or lax in human rights. We can see many seafarers hailing from these countries in the abandonment lists. The most people abandoned by nationality are from India, with 1 491 seafarers cut adrift. Ukraine and the Russian Federation have a high number of abandonments due to the current conflict,” the report said.
Vessels aged between 26 and 30 years make up 16.7% of the total 703 abandoned vessels. With 35 vessels abandoned in their first five years of sailing, although vessels may be new, it doesn’t mean charterers can assume that the conditions on board are acceptable.
