Indian crew world’s most abandoned seafarers in 2025, union figures show

Key Highlights

• “It’s nothing short of a disgrace that, yet again, we are seeing record numbers of seafarers abandoned by unscrupulous ship owners,” said David Heindel, Chair of the ITF Seafarers’ Section.
• “Every day, all around the world, seafarers face horrific violations of their human and labour rights, all so that bottom-feeding companies can make a quick buck at their expense.
• “It’s very clear that this is a systemic issue in the industry — and that means we need the entire industry to come together with seafarers and their unions to say, ‘enough is enough’, and take action together to end this crisis,” he said.
• Seafarer abandonment is defined by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), headquartered in London, under three criteria: failing to cover the cost of a seafarer’s repatriation; leaving a seafarer without necessary maintenance and support; unilaterally severing ties with a seafarer, including failure to pay contractual wages for a period of at least two months.
• According to the ITF analysis, the worst region for abandonment was the Middle East, followed by Europe.