Crew abandonment cases closing in on another dire record

Abandoning your crew is an awful thing to do. Yet around the world there are frequent cases. This year has been one of the worst. The usual motivation is a cash shortage, or bankruptcy.

Most ships are incorporated as separate companies. That allows the owner to declare bankruptcy of the ship without jeopardizing his wealth. But guess who is paying the seamens’ wages? The ship. It’s too easy.

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) has been working hard for seafarers for many years. They count the number of seafarers whose wages go unpaid for more than two months. That’s the definition of abandonment of the seafarers.

Maritime is a wild world; seafarers deserve fair treatment, and it’s useful that some group is trying to look out for them.

Sam ChambersAugust 22, 2022

Crew abandonment cases closing in on another dire record – Splash247