CASES of seafarer abandonment increased 136% in 2024, according to trade union ITF.

Lloyd’s List recently reported on a submission to the by the International Maritime Organization and International Labour Organisation secretariats, but data from the ITF lays bare the scale of shipping’s abandonment problem.

A total of 312 vessels were abandoned in 2024, up from 132 vessels in 2023, the ITF said. More than 3,000 abandoned seafarers contacted the union in 2024, almost double the 1,676 that asked for help in 2023.

ITF global inspectorate coordinator Steve Trowsdale called it “an absolute disgrace that unscrupulous ship-owners are abandoning so many crews with impunity by governments and international regulators”.

“This is nothing less than a betrayal of the key workers of global trade.”

Indian seafarers were the most abandoned nationality, followed by Syrians and Ukrainians. The ITF said $20.4m in unpaid wages was owed to abandoned seafarers. The union said it had recovered $8.9m to date.

ITF data shows the UAE is the port state with the most cases of abandonment in 2024 (42), followed by Türkiye with 25.

Panama remained the worst-performing flag according to the ITF, but the union noted “stark increases” in cases involving other flags, including Palau (37), Tanzania (30), Comoros (29), Cameroon (20) and Bahrain (16). Cases of abandonment on vessels with no flag more than doubled in 2024 too, with 20 cases reported.

But behind all of these figures are real seafarers, that have gone months without being paid and often living in poor conditions.

One case highlighted by the trade union is that of Lakshmanan Venkateshwaran. ITF said Venkateshwaran has been left stranded on tug Navimar 3 (IMO: 9526045) off the coast of Bangladesh and had not been paid for 14 of the 28 months he had been on board.

“All I’ve had are false promises that I will be paid and allowed to leave,” he said.

“I keep working despite everything because I don’t want the crew to suffer, and I am the only engineer onboard. But I’m losing hope as each day passes.”

ITF said Venkateshwaran was owed around $40,000.

ITF general secretary Stephen Cotton said cases like Venkateshwaran’s are part of  “the scandalous rise in reported cases of seafarer abandonment exposing the ugly truth of an industry which has relied on unchecked exploitative practices and lack of global regulation for far too long”.

“But the solution lies in plain sight: better regulation, enforcement and accountability from governments.”

Lloyd’s List has attempted to contact the owners and operators of Navimar 3 for comment.