1,125 Indian Seafarers Abandoned in 2025: Dark Ships, Non-RPSL Agents, and Your MLC Rights

A post published on LinkedIn in February 2026 by a serving 2nd Officer cited a figure that stops you: over 1,125 Indian seafarers affected by abandonment and missing person cases in 2025 alone.

Behind that number are individual people — mostly young, mostly on their first or second contract — who joined a vessel through informal channels and ended up stranded. No pay. No safe way home. In some cases, no communication with family for weeks.

This article covers how it happens, how to recognise the warning signs before you sign on, and what your legal rights are if you find yourself in this situation.

How “Dark Ships” Work

The term “dark ship” in this context refers to vessels operating outside the normal regulatory framework. They are not always illegal in the sense of operating without flag state registration — but they operate in ways that make accountability nearly impossible:

Flag of Convenience (FOC) without effective oversight. Some flag states — particularly smaller ones with open registries — register vessels for a fee but exercise minimal actual oversight of the vessel’s operations. When a shipping company stops paying crew wages, or abandons a vessel in a foreign port, the flag state has little practical ability or incentive to intervene. The ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation) monitors FOC vessels specifically because this problem is documented and recurring.

Manning agents operating without RPSL registration. The DG Shipping system requires all recruitment and placement agents in India to be RPSL (Recruitment and Placement Service Licence) holders. This licence exists specifically to create accountability — if an RPSL agent places a seafarer on a vessel that abandons the crew, the agent is liable. Non-RPSL agents operate outside this accountability framework entirely. They take their placement fee — sometimes paid by the seafarer, which is itself illegal under DG Shipping regulations — and have no further obligation.

Sub-standard companies targeting desperate candidates. Officers and cadets who have been waiting for joining for extended periods become targets for sub-standard operators. The offer is: immediate joining, no wait. The vessel turns out to be operating on deferred maintenance, with delayed salary payments that become permanent non-payment, in conditions that violate Maritime Labour Convention standards.

The Pattern That Leads to Abandonment

The LinkedIn post identified three specific failure points:

The agency trap. The recruitment chain is: seafarer → non-RPSL agent → vessel operator. The agent is paid. The seafarer boards. The agent has no further relationship with the vessel or the operator. When wages are not paid, there is no agent with legal accountability to the seafarer.

The FOC flag factor. High-risk vessels fly flags from registries with minimal enforcement. When the abandonment happens, there is no effective government to escalate to. The ITF can intervene — and does, in documented cases — but intervention takes time and depends on someone reporting the situation.

Fear of blacklisting. Junior officers and cadets on sub-standard vessels frequently know something is wrong — delayed wages, safety violations, near-misses. They do not report because they believe reporting will damage their career. This silence allows the deteriorating situation to continue until it reaches crisis point.

Your MLC 2006 Rights: What the Convention Actually Says

The Maritime Labour Convention 2006 is the international treaty that sets minimum standards for seafarer living and working conditions. India ratified MLC 2006, meaning Indian-flag vessels and Indian seafarers on foreign vessels in ports of ratifying states are covered.

The specific provisions most relevant to abandonment:

Unpaid wages = abandonment after 2 months. Under MLC 2006, if your wages have been unpaid for 2 months or more, you are legally considered “abandoned.” This triggers specific obligations on the flag state and the vessel operator.

Right to repatriation. Every seafarer has an unconditional right to repatriation — transport home — at the end of the contract, if the contract is terminated by the employer, or if the vessel is abandoned. This right cannot be waived by any contract clause. If you are abandoned, the vessel operator is required to fund your repatriation. If the operator fails to do so, the flag state is required to step in.

Right to food and accommodation. While onboard, a seafarer has a right to food and accommodation that meets MLC standards. A vessel that stops providing adequate food is in violation of MLC.

Financial security requirement. Since 2017, MLC requires all vessels to have financial security — effectively insurance — that covers crew wages and repatriation in case of abandonment. This means even if the operator goes insolvent, a financial security mechanism should exist.

How to Protect Yourself Before Signing On

The recommendations from the LinkedIn post are practical and verifiable:

Verify the RPSL number of every agent involved in your placement. The DG Shipping website (dgshipping.gov.in) publishes the complete list of valid RPSL licence holders with their licence numbers, company names, and contact details. If an agent cannot give you their RPSL number, or if the number does not appear on the DGS list, do not proceed with that agent.

If any agent asks you to pay a fee for placement on a vessel: stop immediately. RPSL regulations prohibit charging seafarers for placement. An agent charging you for joining is operating illegally under DG Shipping rules, regardless of how they describe the payment.

Keep the ITF and DPA contacts on your personal phone — not only on the ship’s systems. The ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation) has inspectors at major ports worldwide. Their hotline is +44 20 7403 2733. The DPA (Designated Person Ashore) is your company’s shore-based emergency contact, required under ISM Code. Know both numbers before you board.

Document everything digitally. Keep scanned copies of: your Employment Agreement / Seafarer Employment Contract, CDC, passport, all STCW certificates, and the vessel’s ISM Document of Compliance. Store these in Google Drive or similar cloud storage with access shared with your family. If documents are withheld onboard — which is itself an MLC violation — your family has copies.

Know the DGS grievance mechanism. DG Shipping operates a 24/7 grievance number at 9004048406 and an email at support.dgs@gov.in. The grievance system covers wages, welfare, and safety concerns.

If You Are Currently in an Abandoned or At-Risk Situation

If you are currently on a vessel where wages have not been paid for more than 2 months, or where you believe you are at risk of being stranded:

1. Contact the ITF inspector at the nearest port: +44 20 7403 2733 (international ITF hotline) or find the specific port ITF contact through the ITF website.

2. Contact DG Shipping grievance at 9004048406.

3. If you have internet access, email your company’s DPA with a formal written notice stating the dates and amounts of unpaid wages. The written record is important for any subsequent legal or insurance claim.

4. Contact ISWAN (International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network) at their helpline: +44 20 7323 2737. ISWAN specifically handles seafarer welfare crises including abandonment situations.

Do not stay silent. The crew welfare system only works when seafarers use it.

The Talent Erosion Problem

The LinkedIn post raised a point that matters for the long-term health of Indian maritime: when young cadets hear stories of abandonment and dark ships, the brightest candidates start considering other careers. The immediate victim of abandonment is the individual seafarer. The medium-term victim is the quality of the Indian maritime talent pipeline.

India provides approximately 12 percent of the world’s seafarers. That position is not guaranteed. It rests on a continuous flow of qualified, motivated young people choosing a maritime career. Every abandonment case that goes unresolved, every agent that escapes accountability, and every seafarer who suffers in silence because they fear blacklisting is a cost paid by the entire industry — not just the individual.

Conclusion

The 1,125 figure is not a statistic. Each one is a person who joined a vessel with a contract and found themselves stranded without pay and without a clear path home. Most of these situations were preventable at the joining stage — with RPSL verification, contract review, and awareness of what MLC 2006 actually guarantees.

The framework of protection exists. Use it.

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Questions about your rights as a seafarer, or a situation onboard that is not right? Ask SailorGPT at sailorsuccess.online/sailorgpt — free trial, confidential. The Sailor Success team with 120+ years of collective maritime experience can help you navigate the right channels.

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