In 2020, junior seafarer Omkar Pawar experienced a harrowing incident when coast guard officers boarded his ship near Trinidad and Tobago. He was shocked when one officer pointed a gun at him, as the crew was subsequently detained following the discovery of 450 kilograms of cocaine hidden in the ship’s tank. Although Pawar was never charged—having had no involvement in the smuggling operation—he spent 15 days in a detention center and an additional four months in an immigration facility before being deported to India. This incident plunged his family, who were farmers, into financial distress as they struggled to cover the costs associated with his release, while Pawar himself was already in debt from paying recruitment fees for what was supposed to be a promising maritime career.
Pawar’s plight is not unique; he represents a growing issue for many young seafarers who are often lured into dangerous maritime jobs through recruitment scams or misleading offers. These individuals frequently face exploitation, including unpaid wages, harsh working conditions, and even abandonment at sea when shipowners fail to provide support or pay for repatriation. In 2024 alone, incidents of abandonment surged to a record high, with the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) reporting 3,133 crew members deserted—an alarming 87% increase from the previous year. Many cases remain unreported, especially when seafarers lack the means or autonomy to reach out for help.
The maritime labor landscape is troubled by systemic issues, including opaque ownership structures of shipping companies and the use of flags of convenience, which allow shipowners to evade stringent labor laws. For instance, popular flags of convenience include Panama, Liberia, and the UAE. Although the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) stipulates conditions for seafarers’ welfare, its enforcement primarily relies on flag states and local port authorities, leading to significant shortcomings.
Many seafarers are also burdened by illegal recruitment fees, leading them into debt bondage, and making them susceptible to exploitation. The phenomenon of unregulated ship management companies further exacerbates the situation, as many are run by individuals lacking technical expertise, contributing to unsafe working conditions.
Vinay Kumar, another Indian seafarer, shared his ordeal of being stranded for 21 months aboard a vessel operated by a financially troubled UAE company. He described the dire conditions aboard the ship—lack of fuel for cooking and air conditioning, reliance on sea water for showers, and no electricity for a month. Kumar’s experience illustrates the extreme exploitations faced by seafarers, leaving them feeling more like prisoners than workers.
The alarming rise in cases of abandonment and exploitation in the maritime industry calls for urgent reform, greater accountability for shipowners, and improved enforcement of international labor standards to protect vulnerable seafarers. The ongoing challenges prompt concerns that many workers, like Pawar and Kumar, may never return to the sea, haunted by their experiences.
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