The problem of seafarer abandonment in international shipping is deepening, with the latest data recording a steadily worsening picture at a global level.

According to figures from the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), more than 6,223 seafarers were abandoned on 410 vessels within a single year, revealing the true scale of a crisis that is quietly unfolding in global shipping.

2025 is recorded as the worst year ever for crew abandonment, with the phenomenon now taking on structural characteristics.

In this context, the human dimension of the crisis is once again forcefully coming to the fore.

A decisive role in the expansion of the phenomenon is played by the so-called “shadow fleet,” as both the ITF and the International Labour Organization (ILO) point out that ships with opaque ownership structures, insufficient insurance, and flags of convenience are increasingly involved in cases of crew abandonment, leaving seafarers unpaid and trapped for months.

Ships sailing under flags of convenience (FOC) occupy a prominent position in abandonment cases: 337 vessels abandoned in 2025—82% of the total—were FOC ships.

The ITF estimates that around 30% of the global merchant fleet, consisting of about 100,000 vessels, sails under flags of convenience.

The ITF has been campaigning against FOCs for over 75 years and has long warned of the threat they pose to seafarers’ rights, as well as the illegal and unfair practices enabled by the FOC system.

This has become more widely understood in recent weeks through operations targeting shadow fleet tankers that change flags.

According to the ITF, in 2025 a total of 6,223 seafarers were abandoned on 410 vessels, setting a new all-time record.

This marks the sixth consecutive year in which the number of ships with abandonment incidents has increased, and the fourth consecutive year in which the record for the total number of abandoned seafarers has been broken. Compared with 2024, ship abandonments increased by 31%, while seafarer abandonments rose by 32%, confirming that the problem not only persists but is worsening.

The situation appears particularly severe for Indian seafarers, who emerge as the most affected nationality, with more than 1,000 having been abandoned. This fact takes on even greater significance when combined with early indications for 2026, where the total number of abandoned seafarers has already exceeded 6,000 cases, pointing to an even more ominous continuation.

The financial impact of the crisis is equally revealing. In 2025, seafarers were owed a total of USD 25.8 million in unpaid wages due to ship abandonment.

Of this amount, the ITF managed to recover and return USD 16.5 million to seafarers, highlighting both the scale of the problem and the limits of international protection.

The ITF data are expected to be submitted to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) ahead of their discussion at this year’s meeting of the Legal Committee, at a time when the global shipping community is being called upon to confront not only environmental and geopolitical challenges, but also a deep humanitarian crisis unfolding silently on the decks of ships.

The harsh reality facing thousands of seafarers is reflected in the detailed abandonment statistics for 2025, as shown in the relevant ITF table. According to the data, Indian seafarers are in the most adverse position, with 1,125 abandonments, placing them by far at the top globally. They are followed by Filipino seafarers with 539, Syrians with 309, Indonesians with 274, Ukrainians with 248, Azerbaijanis with 203, Pakistanis with 179, Venezuelans with 144, Egyptians with 130, and Russians with 123. These figures demonstrate that the phenomenon primarily affects crews from countries with a strong presence in the international maritime labor market.

The Middle East was the worst region for ship abandonment, followed by Europe. The two countries where the most ship abandonments were recorded—those with a significantly higher number of abandoned vessels than any other—were Turkey (61) and the United Arab Emirates (54). In total, 4,595 seafarers sought assistance from the ITF in 2025, noting that not all abandoned seafarers request help and that not all requests for assistance relate to abandonment.

The ITF has been monitoring the total number of abandoned seafarers since 2022, and every year since then the number has increased.

Sending a clear message to the international maritime community, Stephen Cotton, General Secretary of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), once again highlighted the human cost of seafarer abandonment, describing it as a “shameful practice” that continues to affect thousands of workers at sea.

“How many more seafarers must endure the hardship of abandonment before we see the changes we know are necessary to end this shameful practice?” he asked pointedly, emphasizing that 2025 was once again the worst year on record in terms of crew abandonment. As he stressed, behind the numbers are people: “These are not just statistics. These are workers who keep the global economy running and who are forced to endure utterly desperate situations, far from their homes and often with no clear prospect of resolution.”

The ITF leader reiterated that the solutions are known and achievable, provided there is genuine accountability in the sector. “Addressing abandonment requires responsibility within the shipping industry and ensuring that shipowners cannot evade their obligations,” he noted, adding that the International Maritime Organization (IMO) must be granted enhanced powers so it can play a more active and coordinated role in eliminating the phenomenon.