I need legal help

Seafarers facing wage, contract, injury, repatriation, or criminalisation issues often need legal advice fast, with limited budget, in a country they are not in. The first move is rarely a paid lawyer — start with the ITF inspector, ISWAN, and where applicable the legal-aid services of your home country's seafarer union. These services are free, run by maritime specialists, and route to lawyers when needed. Paid representation is for the second mile.

Step-by-step

1. Identify the underlying issue: wages, abandonment, repatriation, injury / death claim, criminal allegation, harassment, manning-agency dispute, immigration. Each maps to a different route.
2. Call ISWAN SeafarerHelp on +44 800 012 1004 (free, 24/7, multilingual). They will route to the right specialist.
3. Find the ITF inspector at your current or next port — itfseafarers.org/en/find-an-itf-inspector. ITF inspectors handle most wage / abandonment / repatriation cases without paid representation.
4. Contact your home-country union — AMOSUP (PH), NUSI / MUI (IN), Nautilus (UK/NL), MM&P + AMO (US), SUR (RU), SPNF (FR), etc. Most have legal-aid departments.
5. For criminal allegations following a casualty — request legal representation before giving any statement to a port-state-control or flag-state inspector. The IMO Guidelines on the Fair Treatment of Seafarers in the Event of a Maritime Accident apply.
6. For US-jurisdiction injury claims, Jones Act + maritime tort lawyers typically work on contingency — no fee unless you win.
7. If you cannot find affordable representation, search the law-society / bar-association of the relevant jurisdiction for a maritime / labour lawyer who offers a free initial consultation.

Evidence to save

• Original SEA + every wage account + every CBA reference.
• Discharge book endorsements covering the contract in dispute.
• Timeline of events (dates, places, witnesses, statements).
• Medical records (where injury / illness is involved).
• Police / coastguard / port-authority reports if any.
• Names and contact details of all officers and crew with knowledge of the events.

What NOT to sign

• A statement to a regulator / police / port-state-control without legal representation, where any criminal allegation is in the air.
• A release of claims in exchange for repatriation.
• A settlement without independent maritime-legal advice on the time-bar for your claim.

Legal basis

MLC 2006 Title 5 (Compliance and enforcement) — onboard + onshore complaint procedures. IMO/ILO Guidelines on the Fair Treatment of Seafarers in the Event of a Maritime Accident (2006, revised 2024). Most national bar associations require pro-bono availability for indigent maritime workers.

Primary sources

• ITF — Find an inspector
• ISWAN SeafarerHelp
• IMO/ILO Guidelines on Fair Treatment of Seafarers (A.1056(27))
• Help: legal aid

Organisations that can help

• ITF Inspectorate — London (Global Coordinating)
  Global · Mon-Fri 9-17 GMT, after-hours via inspector network
  📞 +44 20 7403 2733
• ITF Seafarers
  Global · 24/7 for emergencies
  📞 +44 20 7403 2733
• Nautilus International — UK 24-hour helpline
  Europe · 24/7
  📞 +44 20 8989 6677
• AMOSUP (Associated Marine Officers' and Seamen's Union of the Philippines)
  Asia-Pacific · Mon-Sat 8-17 PHT
  📞 +63 2 8527 8491
• MTWTU (Maritime Transport Workers' Trade Union of Ukraine)
  Europe · Mon-Fri 9-17 EET
  📞 +380 48 728 65 92
• ITF Inspector — Piraeus, Greece
  Europe · Mon-Fri 9-17 EET
  📞 +30 210 4286 222
• ITF Inspector — Rotterdam, Netherlands
  Europe · Mon-Fri 9-17 CET, on-call after-hours
  📞 +31 6 53 18 91 36
• ITF Inspector — Singapore
  Asia-Pacific · Mon-Fri 9-18 SGT
  📞 +65 6379 5660
• ITF Inspector — Houston, USA
  Americas · Mon-Fri 9-17 CT
  📞 +1 832 922 6890
• DG Shipping (India) — Seafarer Grievance Redressal Cell
  Asia-Pacific · Mon-Fri 9:30-18 IST
  📞 +91 22 2575 2040
• ITF Inspectorate — Find your nearest inspector
  Global · Varies by port
• ITF Nigeria Inspectorate
  Africa · Office hours, 24/7 emergencies
  📞 +234 1 587 1920
• ITF South Africa Inspectorate
  Africa · Office hours, 24/7 emergencies
  📞 +27 31 301 4108
• ITF Egypt Inspectorate (Suez/Port Said)
  Middle East · Office hours, 24/7 emergencies
  📞 +20 62 333 0102
• ITF UAE Inspectorate
  Middle East · Office hours, 24/7 emergencies
  📞 +971 4 880 4684
• Nautilus International — Netherlands office
  Europe · Mon-Fri 9-17 CET
  📞 +31 10 477 1188
• Nautilus International — Switzerland office
  Europe · Mon-Fri 9-17 CET
  📞 +41 22 731 65 22
• Maradmin (State Service of Maritime and Inland Water Transport, Ukraine)
  Europe · Mon-Fri 9-18 EET
  📞 +380 44 351 7351
• ver.di — German maritime workers desk
  Europe · Mon-Fri 9-17 CET
  📞 +49 40 2858 4150
• Paris MoU Secretariat
  Europe · Mon-Fri 9-17 CET
• Tokyo MoU Secretariat
  Asia-Pacific · Mon-Fri 9-18 JST
  📞 +81 3 3265 0851
• ITF Saudi Arabia (correspondent)
  Middle East · Office hours, escalate via London 24/7
  📞 +44 20 7403 2733
• National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI)
  South Asia · Office hours
  📞 +91 22 2261 3361
• ITF Turkey Inspectorate
  Mediterranean · Office hours, 24/7 emergencies
  📞 +90 212 244 4228
• ITF Greece (PNO)
  Mediterranean · Office hours, 24/7 emergencies
  📞 +30 210 411 5226
• ITF Spain Inspectorate
  Europe · Office hours, 24/7 emergencies
  📞 +34 956 60 22 25
• ILO MLC Complaints
  Global · Office hours (CET)
  📞 +41 22 799 7501
• Nautilus International
  UK/NL/CH · Office hours
  📞 +44 20 8989 6677
• AMOSUP (Philippines)
  Asia-Pacific · Office hours
  📞 +63 2 8527 8491
• DMW / OWWA (Philippines) — Seafarer welfare desk
  Asia-Pacific · Office hours
  📞 +63 2 8721 8532
• NUSI (India)
  Asia-Pacific · Office hours
  📞 +91 22 2261 2822
• MUI (India)
  Asia-Pacific · Office hours
  📞 +91 22 2413 2500
• KPI — Kesatuan Pelaut Indonesia (Indonesian Seafarers Union)
  Asia-Pacific · Office hours
  📞 +62 21 4210983
• Maritime Transport Workers' Trade Union of Ukraine
  Europe · Office hours
  📞 +380 48 728 2929
• Pakistan Merchant Navy Officers Association
  Asia-Pacific · Office hours
  📞 +92 21 3562 4621
• Sri Lanka Director General of Merchant Shipping — welfare desk
  Asia-Pacific · Office hours
  📞 +94 11 258 7215
• Myanmar Maritime Workers Federation
  Asia-Pacific · Office hours
• Seafarers' Rights International
  Global · Office hours
  📞 +44 20 7253 0161
• SINDMAR (Brazil) — Sindicato Nacional dos Oficiais da Marinha Mercante
  Americas · Office hours
  📞 +55 21 2253 4343
• Human Rights at Sea
  Global · Office hours
  📞 +44 23 9431 6113

Disclaimer. General information only — not legal advice. The right route depends heavily on jurisdiction, contract law, and the underlying dispute. Always start with ISWAN + the ITF inspector before paying for representation.