Abandonment — escalation in the next 24 hours

Wages unpaid 2+ months, repatriation refused, or food / water / accommodation / medical care below MLC standard. Abandonment is an emergency.

Immediate action (do this first)

1. Call ISWAN SeafarerHelp now: +44 800 012 1004 (24/7, free, multilingual). Open a case reference.
2. Call the ITF inspector at the current or next port: itfseafarers.org/en/find-an-itf-inspector.
3. Take dated photos of the vessel, the berth, the food/water/accommodation conditions.
4. Save every message between you, the Master, the agent, and the owner since the problem started.
5. Notify your home-country embassy in the country where the vessel is.

Evidence to save

• Original SEA + every wage account + the CBA reference.
• Photo of the MLC A2.5.2 financial-security certificate carried onboard.
• Dated photos of food, water, accommodation, and any unsafe conditions.
• Names + ranks of every officer + crew member onboard.
• Vessel name + IMO + flag + port + berth + ETB/ETD.
• All communications with the agent, owner, and Master (WhatsApp + email screenshots).
• ISWAN + ITF inspector case reference numbers.

Escalation chain

1. ISWAN SeafarerHelp (24/7, free)
2. ITF inspector at current or next port — Can come onboard, audit conditions, trigger financial-security claim.
3. Flag-state seafarer-complaint channel — MLC Reg 5.1 + 5.2.2. Major flags (Liberia, Marshall Islands, Panama) have online intake.
4. Home-country embassy / consulate — Embassy can issue emergency travel documents + intervene with the foreign authority.
5. IMO/ILO Joint Database on Abandonment — Adds the case to the international monitoring list; triggers ILO + IMO attention.
6. Port State Control (MLC A5.2.2) — Onshore complaint at the port. PSC can detain the vessel pending resolution.

Do NOT

• Don't leave the vessel without the ITF inspector's coordination — leaving can be framed as 'desertion' and forfeit some claims.
• Don't accept partial-wage settlements in exchange for signing away the abandonment claim — both must be paid.
• Don't surrender your passport / CDC to the agent or to a 'fixer'.
• Don't sign any release form without the ITF + your embassy reviewing it.

Sample message (copy + adapt)

To ISWAN SeafarerHelp: I believe I am being abandoned under MLC Standard A2.5.2. Vessel [name + IMO], flag [flag], currently in [port]. Wages unpaid for [n] months. Conditions: [food/water/accommodation/medical detail]. I have copies of my SEA + wage accounts + photos. Please open a case and connect me with the ITF inspector at this port.

Last verified 4 months ago