The ISWAN SeafarerHelp 2025 Annual Review revealed that contractual breaches and wage theft remain the main concerns of seafarers, accounting for 25.4% of all cases handled by the helpline in 2025.
When combined with the 12.5% of cases tied to Financial Issues and Compensation, it becomes clear that nearly two-fifths of all calls were about seafarers suffering due to economic exploitation.
Statistics compiled by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) for 2025 reveal that seafarer abandonment reached its worst levels with 6,223 seafarers abandoned across 410 ships globally.
This represents a 31% increase in vessel abandonments and a 32% increase in affected crew members compared to the previous year.
It also marks the 6th consecutive record-breaking year for ship abandonments, highlighting that the industry is struggling with non-compliance and rogue operators.
For the seafarers caught in these situations, the financial consequences are catastrophic.
The ITF reported that abandoned seafarers were owed a collective total of USD 25.8 million in unpaid wages and
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