Indian seafarers were the most frequently abandoned crew members worldwide in 2025, marking the third consecutive year they have led the grim tally, according to data from the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).
A total of 1,125 Indian nationals were abandoned last year, out of 6,223 seafarers affected across 410 vessels globally. This makes 2025 the worst year on record for seafarer abandonment. The number of Indians left stranded rose 25% from 2024, when 899 cases were reported, and is nearly three times the 401 cases recorded in 2023. Filipinos were the second-largest affected group in 2025, with 539 abandonments.
India is the world’s third-largest supplier of seafarers, after the Philippines and China. Globally, the ITF said seafarer abandonments increased by 32% year-on-year, while the number of ships involved rose 31%.
The ITF estimates that abandoned seafarers were owed $25.8 million in unpaid wages in 2025. Of this amount, the federation managed to recover and return $16.5 million to affected crew members through legal and union interventions.
Türkiye and the UAE recorded the highest number of ship abandonments. Many cases involved vessels sailing under flags of convenience—where ships are registered in countries other than those of their owners—a practice often linked to weak oversight, poor labour standards and the operation of shadow fleets carrying sanctioned cargoes.
Seafarer abandonment includes failure to pay wages for at least two months, denial of maintenance, lack of repatriation, or complete severance of contact by shipowners.
In India, authorities have begun tightening scrutiny. In September 2025, the Directorate General of Shipping blacklisted 86 vessels linked to repeated abuse of Indian seafarers, as concerns grow over the rising human cost of unchecked shipping practices.
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