Saturday, April 19, 2025

Indian Crew Stranded Without Pay Calls Renewed Attention to Abandonment

abandoned seafarers — ITF highlights the crew star in Indonesia to call attention to the issue of abandonment (ITF / X)

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.

ITF - International Transport Workers' Federation's Post

ITF - International Transport Workers' Federation

Almost $80,000 in unpaid seafarer wages.

15 crew members on the STAR APOLLO haven’t been paid since the start of their contracts—between 4 and 8 months ago.

The Indian shipowner has abandoned these seafarers and is refusing to take responsibility. This is unacceptable. The ITF Inspectorate is supporting the crew and working to recover the outstanding wages.

0:16 / 0:24

ITF Seafarers' Support

The 15 crew members of the STAR APOLLO (9644897), a St. Kitts & Nevis-flagged ship currently docked at Batamec Shipyard in Indonesia, haven’t been paid since the start of their contracts—between 4 and 8 months. Their total unpaid wages amount to almost USD$80,000.

The crew are extremely frustrated, and the stress of not being paid is taking a toll on their health.

ITF Inspector Mohammad Gulam Ansari, based in Haldia, India, who is supporting the crew, said "This is an Indian shipowner exploiting Indian seafarers, treating them like slaves. It's yet another example of an owner refusing to take responsibility."

If you think you might be abandoned, please email us at abandonment@itf.org.uk

#ITFSupportingSeafarers

All reactions:

7 comments

20 shares

Comment

“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.

Death Toll in Chinese Sand Carrier Capsizing Rises to Four

Dive boat approaches the upturned hull of Hong Hai 16, April 17 (PCG)

[Graphic images - reader discretion advised]

The remains of two more deceased crewmembers have been recovered from the wreck of the capsized sand carrier Hong Hai 16, according to the Philippine Coast Guard. The search continues as responders still hope to find survivors who may have been trapped inside the upturned hull.

The sand carrier Hong Hai 16 was operating off Barangay Malawaan on Tuesday morning in moderate seas. At about 0520 hours, the vessel capsized for reasons stil under investigation. There were 25 crewmembers aboard, and 14 were rescued alive, including six Philippine nationals and eight Chinese seafarers.

Courtesy PCG

On Wednesday afternoon at about 1430, a dive team found the body of a deceased Filipino crewmember on the vessel's bridge. At about 0815 on Thursday, divers with the Coast Guard Special Operations Unit – Southern Tagalog found one more body in an accommodation area below the bridge of the Hong Hai 16. At about 1135 hours, a third body was found in a cabin on the main deck level.

One injured Hong Hai 16 crewmember who was evacuated also died at the hospital, bringing the total number of fatalities to four.

Courtesy PCG

Seven crewmembers remain missing, and dive rescue operations continue. As a precautionary measure, Red Cross volunteers have conducted health assessments on all responders to make sure that ensure they remain in top physical condition, the PCG said.

The sand carrier was carrying about 2,000 liters of lube oil and 30,000 liters of diesel. As diesel fuel dissipates and is not persistent, the PCG is not treating it as an imminent environmental threat. 250 meters of containment boom have been deployed as a precautionary measure.

Four Crewmembers Injured in Fire as Bulker Departs Mozambique

bulker in sunset — Fire and a possible explosion injured for crewmembers (file photo)

[Brief] The maritime authorities in Mozambique report that four crewmembers required treatment at a local clinic after a fire broke out on their vessel as they were departing a northern port on the Indian Ocean. The crewmembers, whose nationality was not specified, are reported to be out of danger while their vessel is being detained pending further inspections.

The Maritime Transport Regulatory Authority (ITANSMAR) told the local media that the fire began on the bulker Altzek on Sunday afternoon, April 13. The vessel was reportedly loaded with coal and departing the Nacala port.

“It is assumed that there was an explosion in the engine room [of the ship], a fact that has yet to be ascertained,” Itransmar said in a statement sent to the news outlet Lusa. “The four crew members (…) are out of danger and are currently undergoing treatment at a clinic in Nacala,” the newspaper reports.

Four tugboats with fire-fighting equipment were sent to aid the 81,177 dwt bulker which is registered in Nigeria, but the fire had already been extinguished by the ship’s crew. After loading the ship was bound according to its AIS signal for a stop in Las Palmas, Spain with a final destination of Poland.

The ship according to the Equasis database had recently been acquired from South Korea by the Green Seeds General Trading Company of Oman. It was built in 2012.

The ship is showing that it is not under command while lying in the Nacala Porto anchorage. ITRANSMAR said a delegation of naval engineers would be sent to inspect the vessel. They are inspecting to determine if it can continue on its trip.

ECOCIDE CANADA

Tar Balls Wash Ashore as Salvage Continues of MSC Baltic III

Salvage efforts continue to focus on the fuel and potential contaminants aboard the grounded containership (Canadian Coast Guard)

The Canadian Coast Guard confirmed that a few tar balls have been recovered in the area near where the MSC Baltic III containership stranded two months ago in Newfoundland. While testing is still ongoing, the Canadian Coast Guard told the local media that it is almost certain the oil came from the vessel but they do not believe there is a consistent leak from the fuel tanks.

The first of the tar balls, which alternately are being described as the size of a tennis or golf ball, was found during a routine search on April 11 of the nearby beach, and two more were found the following day. Media reports indicate a total of six or seven of the tar balls have now been recovered and they were sent to a lab for testing. The Coast Guard suspects they are heavy fuel possibly washed from the ship during some of the heavy weather in the bay where the ship grounded.

An ROV was used to survey the hull on April 13, and it also confirmed that there was no consistent fuel leak from the vessel. The salvage effort had previously reported multiple cracks in the hull and water in the engine room and holds of the containership. The Coast Guard also says that no oil has been seen in the water or elsewhere in the bay so far.

Tar balls are being analyzed, but the Coast Guard thinks they are fuel washed from the ship during heavy weather

A subsequent survey of the vessel has lowered the estimate to approximately 1600 metric tons of heavy fuel and marine gas oil aboard the MSC Baltic III. The salvage company hired by the owners placed frac tanks on the deck of the vessel and in late March began an effort to pump the fuel from the vessel. However, it is a slow process due to the time required to heat and pump the fuel.

The current process calls for pumping the fuel into the temporary tanks on deck and when they are full they will be pumped into tanks on a barge alongside. Once filled, the tanks are too heavy to lift onto the barge. The Coast Guard explains this process is being used because the weather makes it difficult to keep a barge alongside the ship doe extended periods.

As of early April, the Coast Guard reported that 184 cubic meters of fuel had been pumped into the frac tanks. In an interview yesterday, April 17, with the local newspaper The Telegram, the Coast Guard said no fuel has been transferred off the vessel so far. The process continues to move slowly due to weather conditions in the area.

Initial salvage efforts in March removed from the vessel eight containers loaded with polymeric beads, which are considered dangerous goods. There were approximately 470 containers aboard when the vessel stranded on February 15. However, MSC reported approximately half were empties. The damage to the hull of the vessel makes it impossible at this time to consider refloating the ship.

The Canadian Coast Guard highlights that the country works under a “polluter pays” principle. The Coast Guard is overseeing the salvage effort which is being conducted by T&T Salvage hired by MSC. The vessel’s owners and its insurance will be responsible for all the costs of the salvage operation.

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment