ITF News Update
2024 worst year on record for seafarer abandonment, says ITF
New data from the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) reveals abandonment of seafarers by ship-owners increased by 87% in 2024 from the previous year. The abandonment of seafarers is spiralling out of control, increasing nearly two-fold with 3,133 seafarers abandoned by ship-owners in 2024 compared to 1,676 in 2023.
https://www.itfseafarers.org/en/news/2024-worst-year-record-seafarer-abandonment-says-itf
Indians most abandoned seafarers in the world in 2024: Report
LONDON: Indian seafarers are the most abandoned in the world for the second year running, with 899 Indian seafarers abandoned on ships in 2024 out of a total of 3,133. The year 2024 is now the worst on record for seafarer abandonment. There has been an 87% increase compared to 2023 when 1,676 seafarers were abandoned, of which 401, also the largest cohort, were Indian, according to the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), headquartered in London.
ITF urges to protect seafarers from becoming collateral damage
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) has urged governments and industry to do more to safeguard seafarers from becoming collateral damage in conflicts not of their making, as well as from piracy and criminalisation. The ITF on its statement called on the Houthis to end all attacks on commercial vessels and to provide clear assurances that seafarers transiting the Red Sea will be safe.
https://safety4sea.com/itf-urges-to-protect-seafarers-from-becoming-collateral-damage/
Shipping starts to test Red Sea waters
Data shows some vessels are returning to Bab el Mandeb transits but most of the industry is continuing to steer clear. There has been no meaningful change in traffic in the week following the Houthis announcement of a partial halt to attacks. THE partial lifting of restrictions in the Red Sea has not triggered a mass return to the beleaguered shipping lane that passes through these waters, but the Bab el Mandeb is now a viable option for some that had been avoiding the area. FREE TO READ
https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1152364/Shipping-starts-to-test-Red-Sea-waters
Seafarers’ struggles in global ports
Steven Jones, the founder of the Seafarers Happiness Index, reflects on frustration felt about the treatment of seafarers in many ports around the world. When thinking about seafarers’ happiness, it is tempting to assume their greatest challenges occur far out at sea. However, new insights reveal a different story—seafarers are increasingly speaking out about the troubling treatment they face in ports worldwide.
https://splash247.com/seafarers-struggles-in-global-ports/
Stranded Sailors of Carrier Gas Parrot Returns to Mumbai, Unites with Family
Mumbai, January 27, 2025: Altogether 10 Indian seafarers on board the Gas Parrot, abandoned by its Italian owner, Gator Shipping, have safely returned here on January 24, 2025. Abandonment of the vessel left the crew stranded.
Sistership to Containership Dali Breaks Down in Pacific
One of the sisterships to the containership Dali which destroyed Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key bridge is reporting engine troubles in the Pacific. The vessel which is also managed by Synergy Marine and sailing under charter as the Maersk Saltoro is reported to have experienced an engine problem which is delaying the ship and risking a cargo of Chilean cherries bound for China.
https://maritime-executive.com/article/sistership-to-containership-dali-breaks-down-in-pacific
Blocked in Brittany for three years, this Russian ship risks abandonment
This Russian ship has been blocked in the port of Saint-Malo (Ille-et-Vilaine) for almost three years. Three years that Russian sailors have recovered to try to maintain the Vladimir Latyshevthis ship came to France in March 2022 to deliver magnesia to a subsidiary of the Roullier group.
OWWA offers upskilling for 17 freed Pinoy seafarers
THE Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) is offering a skills upgrade for the 17 Filipino seafarers who were recently freed from Houthi captivity. OWWA Administrator Arnell Ignacio, in a statement on Saturday, said the Seafarers Upgrading Program (SUP) and the Skills for Employment Scholarship Program (SESP) are available to the 17 who returned to Manila on Thursday.
https://malaya.com.ph/news/national-news/owwa-offers-upskilling-for-17-freed-pinoy-seafarers/
Fastest growing flag data brings shadow fleet into light
San Marino, Guyana, Sierra Leone, Comoro Islands, Guinea Bissau and most notably Guinea are the flag states that stand out for their extraordinary fleet growth in the latest data compiled in Clarksons Research’s World Fleet Monitor, statistics that highlight the whack-a-mole game authorities in the West are having to fight in their bid to crack down on the growing shadow fleet.
https://splash247.com/fastest-growing-flag-data-brings-shadow-fleet-into-light/
Explosion forces crew to abandon Hong Kong-flagged container ship in the Red Sea
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An explosion has struck a Hong Kong-flagged container ship traveling north through the Red Sea, sparking a major fire that forced its crew to abandon the vessel, shipping industry officials said. The ship was drifting and ablaze about 225 kilometers (140 miles) off the coast of Hodeida, a port city in Yemen held by the country’s Houthi rebels, said the Diaplous Group, a maritime firm. It didn’t name the vessel.
Nine Charged in Massive Smuggling Scheme at Ports of Los Angeles and Long beach
Federal authorities have uncovered a sophisticated smuggling operation at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, leading to the arrest of eight defendants in connection with a scheme to import counterfeit goods from China. The operation, which ran from August 2023 to June 2024, involved logistics company executives, warehouse owners, and truck drivers who allegedly circumvented customs inspections by breaking container seals and replacing contraband with filler cargo.
Cargo handling company fined over breaches of health and safety on day crew member died
A cargo handling company has been fined €15,000 for breaches of health and safety regulations on the same day a crew member died in an accident on a ship docked in Dublin Port. Able seaman Dennis Gomez Regana, who was from the Philippines, died when a 20-foot steel container fell on him on November 14, 2018.
https://dublinpeople.com/news/court/articles/2025/01/28/32432/
Seafarer abandonment ‘spiralling’ as 2024 sees record-high
‘This is nothing less than a betrayal of the key workers of global trade’. The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) says 2024 was the worst year on record for seafarer abandonment. The union said new data shows that the issue is “spiralling out of control”, increasing by 87%: 3,133 seafarers were abandoned by shipowners last year compared with 1,676 in 2023. Steve Trowsdale, ITF global inspectorate coordinator, said: “It’s an absolute disgrace that unscrupulous shipowners are abandoning so many crews with impunity by governments and international regulators.
https://archive.ph/RXYeW#selection-1319.0-1319.203
Fleet of abandoned ships is growing, leaving more sailors stuck at sea
More ships than ever are being abandoned around the world by their owners, according to the United Nations’ labor and maritime organizations, leaving thousands of workers stuck on board without pay or the means to travel home to their families. Cases have doubled in the past three years, impacting more than 3,000 seafarers across some 230 ships in 2024, according to an Associated Press analysis of U.N. data.
Shipowner abandonment hits record highs | AP News
Fleet of abandoned ships is growing | The Courier Leaving more sailors stuck at sea