Seafarer abandonment reached the worst level on record in 2025, according to new data compiled by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF). The federation recorded 6,223 abandoned seafarers across 410 ships last year, and said its 2026 data shows more than 6,000 abandoned seafarers, with Indian nationals the worst affected at more than 1,000.
The ITF said the 2025 figures marked a sixth consecutive year in which the number of vessels involved in abandonment cases set a new record, and a fourth straight year in which the total number of abandoned seafarers also broke the previous high. Compared with 2024, ship abandonments increased by 31%, while seafarer abandonment rose by 32%.
In 2025, the ITF said abandoned seafarers were owed a combined $25.8 million as a consequence of abandonments. From this total, it recovered and returned $16.5 million to seafarers. The federation said its data will be submitted to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) ahead of discussion at a Legal Committee meeting this year.
Under the IMO definition, abandonment applies when shipowners fail to cover repatriation costs, leave seafarers without necessary maintenance and support, or unilaterally sever ties with seafarers, including failure to pay contractual wages for at least two months. The IMO and the International Labour Organization (ILO) maintain a joint abandonment database; of the 410 abandonments recorded in 2025, the ITF reported 400, representing 98%.
Indian seafarers were the most affected in 2025 with 1,125 abandoned, followed by Filipinos with 539 and Syrians with 309. The Middle East was the worst region for abandonment, followed by Europe, while the countries with the highest number of vessels involved were Türkiye (61) and the United Arab Emirates (54). The ITF also noted that, at the end of 2025, the Indian Government announced “blacklisting” measures aimed at protecting seafarers from ships linked to repeat abandonments and other bad practices.
Flags of Convenience (FOCs) featured heavily in the 2025 caseload. The ITF said 337 abandoned vessels—82% of the total—were flying FOC flags, while it estimates around 30% of the global 100,000-strong merchant fleet operates under such registries. Panama remained the flag state with the most abandonments in 2025, rising to 68 from 43, and cases involving an unknown flag more than doubled to 46 from 20.
The ITF highlighted an ongoing case involving Eleen Armonia, where four Indian seafarers remained off the coast of Nigeria after being on board since June 2025 without pay. The ITF filed the ship as abandoned in August 2025, and said the shipowner, Eleen Marine, had not repatriated the crew despite contract expirations and repeated appeals. The ITF also referenced an earlier 2025 report on Eleen Marine and the Slovenia-registered “International Seafarers’ Union” (ISU), established alongside and operating in tandem with Lanibra, which sells anti-union services to shipowners. The ITF said agreements purchased from ISU-Lanibra were believed to have expired in June and had not been renewed.
The federation called for measures including requiring flag states to log beneficial ownership details as a condition of registration, national blacklisting of ships with repeat abandonment records, and government investigations into Flags of Convenience.
