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If a family ashore loses contact with a seafarer at sea, the response depends on how long contact has been silent, the route the vessel is on, and whether the silence is operational (no signal, transit through a no-comms area) or unexplained. This page is written for both seafarers and family members. The same call goes to the same people: ISWAN SeafarerHelp on +44 800 012 1004, the manning agency, the shipowner, and — if the silence is unexplained — the flag-state administration.
MLC 2006 Title 4 — Health protection, medical care, welfare. MLC Regulation 3.1 + Standard A3.1 (Accommodation and recreational facilities — incl. internet access where reasonable and practicable). MLC 4.4 (Access to shore-based welfare facilities). Shipowner duty of care under flag-state law and the SEA.
Disclaimer. General information only. Most contact gaps resolve within 24–72 hours and are connectivity-related. Persistent unexplained silence — especially together with wage or abandonment indicators — should be escalated to ISWAN and the ITF immediately.