Located thirty-three nautical miles south of Chittagong, Bangladesh, the tugboat Navimar 3 has remained anchored off Kutubdia Island since March of the previous year.

Currently, a team of seven crew members, including an Indian engineer officer who has been stranded on board, is tasked with maintaining the vessel. The engineer is unable to return home, lacking both a visa to disembark and access to his own passport and certification documents, which are being held by the local agent for Middle East Marine (MEM), a Dubai-based shipping company. He has not received any wages for the last 14 months.

This situation of “seafarer abandonment” is a growing crisis that plagues the maritime industry. The International Transport Workers’ Federation has reported between 250 to 300 abandonment incidents in 2023, nearly double the figures from the previous year. These abandonments impact thousands of seafarers across various types of vessels, including container ships and bulk carriers, with a notable increase in cases emerging from the Middle East.

One significant case involved a ship that transported ammonium nitrate to Beirut. This cargo was confiscated and subsequently exploded in 2020, resulting in over 200 fatalities.

The Navimar 3’s case is logged in an abandonment database overseen by the International Labour Organisation and the International Maritime Organisation.

After unloading stone boulders, the crew received notification that their next destination would be Thoothukudi across the Bay of Bengal. However, the vessel was detained in Bangladesh due to MEM’s financial issues and has remained in what some describe as a “car park at sea,” according to Sandra Bernal, a regional coordinator for the International Transport Workers’ Federation.

Insider observations indicate that MEM frequently leaves vessels and their crews stranded. In May, the Navimar 3 was involved in a particularly troubling instance of serial abandonment, which drew attention from the federation. Efforts were made to repatriate some of the crew, who were replaced by new hires, only for the newcomers to also face abandonment after two months of unpaid work, as defined by the Maritime Labour Convention. The latest crew members aboard the Navimar 3 are from Myanmar.

The Indian engineer, who manages the engine room single-handedly, reports never having had time off since joining the ship. Heavy winds and currents require constant readiness. He described experiencing accidents during cyclones while working on the tug. Sleep eludes him for more than two to three hours nightly, and he survives on a diet of “white rice in liquid form,” all while hoping for eventual repatriation along with his unpaid wages to reunite with his family. In a voice message from May, a MEM staff member expressed the dire need to retain the chief engineer, stating, “that man … is like a God-given gift to us.”

The engineer has shared multiple communications with MEM throughout this standing deadlock. In messages, he conveys the potential dangers of his situation, receiving replies that promised wage payments would be forthcoming. Back home in India, his family has taken loans to manage his monthly phone bills, which he describes as “the only way of communication giving me little hope.”

MEM maintains a low profile and claims on its website to offer comprehensive shipping and logistics services. However, it mentions no specific endorsements or details about its operations. Reports have surfaced regarding the abandonment of three additional MEM vessels, including one in India and two in the Maldives. These situations have similarly involved extended periods of unpaid wages. One vessel, the Oceanlec 263, was left abandoned in the Maldives, with crew members relying on emergency supplies funded by the transport workers’ federation. In early December, the situation improved when MEM’s client provided back wages, facilitating new crew arrivals.

MEM operates the Navimar 3 and other vessels through a bareboat charter, allowing them to use a third party’s ship for business without taking direct responsibility for cargo or crew. The ultimate owner of these vessels, through a network of subsidiaries, is AD Ports Group, a state enterprise in Abu Dhabi, which has been aware of MEM’s operation practices.

Since mid-2023, discussions have taken place between AD Ports and maritime worker representatives, with at least twenty emails exchanged regarding crew treatment and potential solutions.

Neither MEM nor AD Ports responded to requests for comments.

The primary responsibility for repatriating abandoned crew members lies with the vessel’s flag state. Currently, three MEM-stranded vessels, including the Navimar 3, fly the Palau flag. This small Pacific nation has raised concerns among observers. Although Panama has the highest number of abandonment cases, Palau is disproportionately represented given its smaller registry. Critics note that Palau’s authorities have been largely non-responsive, showing little initiative to recognize or remedy vessel abandonment.

Paul Falzon, an inspector with the International Transport Workers’ Federation in Malta, has contacted Palau’s ship registry based in Greece but noted no productive outcomes from his inquiries.

The Palau registry has indicated that it “actively monitors all cases of vessel abandonment under its registry and takes appropriate actions.” 

In the interconnected maritime industry, solutions may need to be adopted collectively. For example, Taiwan’s Maritime and Port Bureau has taken a stand against shipping insurance providers deemed ineffective, banning vessels covered by these firms from entering their ports. Implementing similar policies across larger maritime nations could drive changes in how unscrupulous firms operate.

Ship staffing agencies also play a critical role in ensuring their crews are protected from vessels with histories of abandonment.

Each new abandonment case highlights the urgent need for global authorities to reassess the “flag of convenience” system, which permits vessels to operate under the flags of countries like Palau or Panama that they do not engage with directly.

Ultimately, the prevalence of flags of convenience often correlates with systemic injustice, whether manifested on the high seas or for crews left stranded on shore.