Indian seafarers are most abandoned in the world again

Indian seafarers are most abandoned in the world again
Naomi Canton / TNN / Jan 23, 2026

LONDON: Indian seafarers are the most abandoned in the world for the third year running.

A total of 1,125 Indian seafarers were abandoned on ships in 2025 out of a total of 6,223 seafarers abandoned across 410 ships worldwide, making 2025 the worst year on record for seafarer abandonment.

The number of Indian seafarers abandoned has gone up 25% compared to 2024, when 899 were abandoned. In 2023, it was 401. After Indians, the next highest cohort to be abandoned in 2025 were Filipinos (539).India is the third-biggest supplier of seafarers in the world, after the Philippines and China.

Worldwide the total number of seafarers abandoned has increased by 32% and ship abandonments are up 31% compared to 2024, according to the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), headquartered in London.

ITF data shows that seafarers were owed a total of $25.8 million in 2025 as a consequence of abandonment. From this, the ITF has recovered and returned $16.5 million to seafarers.

The two countries where most ship abandonments took place were Türkiye and the UAE.

Seafarer abandonment is defined as failing to cover the cost of a seafarer’s repatriation; leaving a seafarer without maintenance; or severing ties with a seafarer, including failing to pay wages for at least two months.

“It’s nothing short of a disgrace that, yet again, we are se ..

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