2,648 seafarers abandoned on 259 vessels by August 2025 – ITF

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) has disclosed that as of August 2025, it recorded 2,648 cases of seafarer abandonment across 259 vessels, saying 2025 is on track to become the worst year of seafarer abandonment.

 ITF said the majority of vessels abandoned in 2025 have been in the Arab World and Iran (95 abandonments, 37%), followed by Europe (86 abandonments, 33%). Türkiye (43 abandonments, 17%) and the UAE (32 abandonments, 12%) are the countries where most vessels abandonments have taken place: their combined total far exceeds the total number of vessel abandonments across the Asia-Pacific region (45 abandonments).

In 2024, ITF data showed 3,133 seafarers were abandoned across a total of 312 vessels – the worst seafarer abandonment figures ever recorded. This was an 87% increase on the 1,676 seafarers abandoned in 2023, and a 136% increase on the 132 vessels abandoned in 2023.

Last week ITF issued a statement on desperate seafarers abandoned on a sanctioned ship in the Persian Gulf who were crying out of fuel and burning wood to cook what food they have left – and they had reached out to the ITF with their plea for help.

The 19 seafarers, from India (17), Bangladesh and Ukraine, are aboard the Global Peace (IMO 9555199), anchored in Al Hamriyah, off the coast of United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Their message is simple: “Please save us.”

The body noted that the crew wrote to it via Whatsapp at the end of the week: “We are out of MGO [marine gas oil] and we totally black [sic] out. We have provision but unable to do something because there is no fuel. We did not ate [sic] since last evening.”

The seafarers subsequently started scavenging wood from the ship to burn in order to cook their remaining supplies.

According to the crew, the Global Peace was shipping marine gas oil from Iraq to the UAE.

“This is now a desperate situation – and the UAE’s continuing failure to act is a shocking indictment of its approach to the most basic human rights of seafarers,” said ITF Inspectorate Coordinator, Steve Trowsdale.

These seafarers cannot just be left to starve in the dark. No one should be treated this way. The UAE must intervene immediately to repatriate this crew – right now every hour matters.”

As the ITF reported earlier this week, the Global Peace has no known flag. It is owned by UAE-based Glory International FZ-LLC, which has been under US sanctions since April this year.

The vessel is also believed to have no insurance, and seafarers’ contracts seen by the ITF reference fictitious ITF collective bargaining agreements.

Many of the 19 crew have been aboard for 15 months: the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 permits a maximum period of 11 months on board for a contract. Despite some seafarers’ employment contracts expiring more than five months ago, their right to repatriation has been ignored.