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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

What NOT to sign

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

Related terms

Organisations that can help

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.