WHe set out from his home at his home in Tamil Nadu, southern India, to work on a ship crossing the Bay of Bengal to the neighboring Bangladesh, he told his family that he would disappear a few months. After handing his shipment from stone to Kutubdia Island in Bangladesh, the marine engineer was scheduled to go home in March 2024 to land in the Port of Totokudi, India.
But in that month, the authorities in Bangladesh, which was run by the eastern Navy (MEM), which was run by Navimar 3, and which was run by the Middle East Navy (MEM). Nearly a year ago, Vihaan became a virtual prisoner on board, he says, forced to work without pay to maintain the safety of the ship, amid strong currents where it is fixed off the island in the Gulf of the Hurricane. His passport and certificates documents are kept by a Dubai -based local agent. With no way to reach the home, there is no visa to go down and without supplies, he must rely on food and water from charitable societies and unions.
Vihaan, who has 25 years of experience in this industry, says he had nothing but empty promises “from Dubai to be paid and allowed to leave. The screenshots of the desperate messages are increasingly between the engineer and the company on that. The 14 -year -old, but he says that he “loses hope with every day that passes.” On his wages, a 20 -year -old bachelors are threatened with savings, and they risk his daughter’s dreams to become a military doctor.
When the Guardian spoke to Bahan earlier this month, he was coughing and said he felt weak and fever. There is no medicine on the plane. He continues to work, because despite everything, it needs to keep the crew and the ship safe, he says. The “abandonment” maritime work agreement is defined as two months without contractual wages, maintenance, support or cost of re -cost.
The case of Bahan is far from isolated. Thousands of sailors, the backbone of the global shipping trade, are left abandoned in what the International Transport Workers Union (ITF) describes as “cancer” of the industry. The cases increased by 135 %, from 132 ships in 2023 312 last yearThis affects more than 3000 sailors, according to the joint ITF/International Labor Organization database (ILO).
The Middle East region had the most abandoned ships, in 108, while the port state with the largest number is the United Arab Emirates, with 42 deserted ships in their waters in 2024. The second highest Turkey, with 25 companies. Responsible for the largest percentage of all abandoning. The Federal Transport Authority in the United Arab Emirates was dealt with for comment, but it did not respond.
Seafarers are often left in the ITF/ILO database with a little food or without dirty drinking water, while the wages owed to them worth $ 20 million (16 pounds) were not paid in 2024, which ITF recovered 10.4 million dollars. So far, it says. Things became so bad for a member of the stalled crew that they were accepted to the hospital after a failed attempt to take over their private lives, says ITF.
These seas in the Catch-22 game: Without any way to return home, they remain on board in deteriorating conditions, in the hope that employers who owe their wages will pay, once they leave the ship, the chances of obtaining unpaid wages will be paid.
ITF says that most abandoned ships sail under the country of “comfort” such as Panama or Palo. This system, from allowing the ship owner to register a ship in a country other than the least stronger labor laws, makes it difficult to take legal measures against ship owners.
Another annoying aspect of industry is the increasing danger to Seafarers, which unintentionally occurred in conflicts. This was highlighted in November 2023, when the 25 crew of the shipping ship, the leader of the galaxy carried out by the Bahamas, was taken as hostages by the Yemeni Houthis at the beginning of a campaign in the Red Sea linked to the war in Gaza. They were released last month after the ceasefire.
Last July, 16 of the sailors found themselves deserted in a conflict area on a captain ship shipping during the Israeli air strikes in the Hodida port, in Yemen, which was said to have killed three people and wounded 87.
“I was very afraid. My life was in danger during the strike. I was doing the duties of the clock … because [at sea] We cannot leave responsibility for others. If something happens, anything can happen with the life of all the crew. “
Rahul, 31, says he was forced to work for seven -month -old paid. The Tarek crew, eight Indians and eight Syrians, had to live in one part of the pasta or rice every day or two days of water in the day between them, as it claims. They had no electricity or fuel, he says. Rahul is now at home, along with five other Indian sailors and the eight Syrians, who asked for help from ITF.
“Marine navigation has become more dangerous in recent years, as conflicts have seen the targeted innocent workers.“ ITF has now restored two separate crew in Navimar, which was transferred in Palau. A third crew, from Indonesia, was independent this month, claiming.
Mem operates movements such as Navimar 3 via the “Bareboat” charter, which allows them to use ships owned by an external side. Mat Ports, a state -owned organization in Abu Dhabi, is the owner of Navimar 3, via subsidiary companies. The beneficiary owner is whatever he was practicing effective control of the ship, although he can rent it through subsidiary companies. Ports of M. Make 1.36 billion United Arab Emirates Dirhams (300 million pounds), in a profit in 2023, according to its accounts.
Last month, after pressure from ITF, Vihaan received his first good news within a year – he got half of the wages due to him. It is still worth $ 27,000 (21,000 pounds), according to Bernal.
Mohamed Erichey, a comfort coordinator in ITF in the Arab world and Iran, dealt with many sad issues during his career. He says, “We cannot normalize the abandonment,” he says. It is immoral, inhuman. It is like modern slavery. “
While an interview with this article was interviewed, Bahan moved to the cold, but he is still waiting for his unpaid wages. The Middle East Marine was contacted to comment. Upon calling, AD outlets suggested that the guardian information was old but it had not been contacted since then. The guardian also made wide efforts to identify the owners of Captain Tarek but without success.
* The name has been changed. Marine fear is afraid of revenge and blacklist by employers to speak