The crew aboard an offshore support vessel has taken to social media with the aid of the International Transport Workers’ Federation to highlight their plight. It comes after the union groups called 2024 the “worst year on record for seafarer abandonment.”
The ITF posted on its social media channels a video of the 15 Indian crewmembers aboard the vessel which has remained in Indonesia since October 2024. They are holding handwritten signs saying they do not have proper food and the ship’s managers have threatened them when they ask for their back pay. They are appealing for the help of the Indian seafarer unions and the flag state of the vessel for help. The crewmembers want their pay and reparation back to India.
According to the ITF, the vessel named Star Apollo (1,500 gross tons) has been in the Batamec Shipyard in Indonesia since last year. There are 15 people, all Indian nationals, aboard who report they have not been paid since their contracts began between four and eight months ago. The ITF says it is trying to aid in the recovery of nearly $80,000 in unpaid wages.
The vessel, built in 2012, was sold in 2025 to Mumbai-based Vindhyawashini Offshore, according to the Equasis database. The ship is registered in St. Kitts & Nevis.
“The crew are extremely frustrated, and the stress of not being paid is taking a toll on their health,” writes ITF Global Inspectorate Coordinator Steve Trownsdale on his social media account.
The ITF issued a warning in January that the abandonment of seafarers is “spiraling out of control.” It said abandonment of seafarers skyrocketed 87 percent (3,3133 seafarers compared to 1,676) in 2024 vs 2023. Vessel abandonment they reported was up a staggering 136 percent to 312 vessels in 2024.
Abandoned seafarers the ITF warned can experience months of unpaid wages, extremely poor on-board conditions, inadequate food and clean drinking water, and long periods of work without proper rest. In some cases, they are left completely stranded for months – even years – on end.
Under maritime regulations and the Maritime Labour Convention overseen by the International Labour Organization, flag states are obliged to step in when seafarers are abandoned. It calls for the states to arrange the transport home of seafarers, but many are reluctant to leave the ship until they settle their wages.
The lack of enforcement and responsiveness from flag and port states, the lack of insurance for vessels, and shipowners refusing to accept that they are mistreating their crew are common factors the ITF said that contribute to abandonment and complicate the resolution of cases.
Source: The Maritime Executive
