Indian seafarers most abandoned in 2025

In 2025, a record number of seafarers were abandoned by their ship owners, with Indian seafarers being the most affected.

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) reported that 6,223 seafarers were abandoned across 410 ships.

The worst regions for abandonment were the Middle East and Europe, with Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates having the highest number of abandonments.

The ITF welcomed the Indian government’s measures to protect its seafarers and called for industry-wide action to end this crisis.

Seafarer abandonment is defined as failing to cover repatriation costs, providing necessary support, or unilaterally severing ties with seafarers.

The ITF also highlighted the misuse of the ‘Flags of Convenience’ (FOC) system, with 82% of abandoned vessels flying FOCs.

The union has been campaigning for greater accountability in the shipping industry to prevent such abandonments.