This is a drama less visually dramatic than the Houthis’ attacks — but it too involves shocking rule-breaking, as an increasing number of sailors are being abandoned by their vessels’ owners, left stuck on board sometimes for months or even years. And a leading culprit behind this growing abandonment appears to be the similarly growing shadow fleet.
On Dec. 18, for example, 11 Indonesian seafarers working on the Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Grand Sunny realized the vessel’s owner could no longer be reached, and were left stranded in the Chinese port of Nansha. “We are trying to get food and water to the vessel urgently,” the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) logged on Dec. 19. These sailors have been stuck ever since. Moreover, the ship’s owner, Thousand Star International Ltd., is so tiny, there’s virtually no information about the company.
These abandoned Indonesians aren’t the only seafarers trapped on their ships either. In the French port of Lorient, three Georgian seafarers have been stranded on their Tanzania-flagged icebreaker since Dec. 7. “The crew is in danger because the ship is old, engine is not working properly,” the ITF noted in its log. Meanwhile, in Brazil’s Macapa anchorage, 23 Russian seafarers have been stuck on their Saint Kitts and Nevis-flagged bulk carrier since Dec. 1.
And these are just some of the most recent cases. In Italy’s port of Messina, five Ukrainians and one Russian have been stranded on the Cameroon-flagged cargo vessel Bella for nearly three years.
In all these instances, the sailors are stuck because vessels’ owners have simply abandoned them. Under maritime rules, even shipowners who fall on hard times aren’t allowed to simply ignore their ships and crews — but many do. However, maritime rules also prevent crew from abandoning their ships except under the most extreme circumstances — essentially, only if the vessel is sinking. So, while these owners are far away from the ship and sometimes make themselves uncontactable, crews are stuck.
During their wait, the vessel’s condition deteriorates (because the owner has stopped paying for maintenance), and the seafarers usually aren’t being paid. Indeed, if it weren’t for port authorities, the ITF and charities like the Mission to Seafarers, many of these stranded crew members wouldn’t even have access to food and other necessities.
