It is a requirement under the Maritime Labour Convention for shipping companies to repatriate seafarers at the end of their contract however, some companies are unwilling to do this and instead expect the seafarer to fund their own repatriations.
The absence of repatriation offered by shipping
Despite international minimum wages being set relatively very low, shipowners or operators consistently attempt to underpay or withhold pay from seafarers for work already done – income that seafarers’ families at home rely on.
Under ITF Agreements, ITF inspectors located in ports around the globe
Fatigue and exhaustion are major risks associated with life at sea, especially as owner-operators circumvent minimum safe manning standards, overwork crew beyond maximum overtime levels, and rely on exploitative working conditions.
Under the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), limits are established
Seafarers work in environments directly exposed to the impacts of climate and weather, making extreme temperatures and climate-related risks a growing concern. High temperatures in engine rooms or enclosed workspaces – all exacerbated by voyages in tropical regions – can lead to heat stress
Seafarers are routinely exposed to hazardous substances and biological risks as an inherent part of maritime operations. Work on board vesselships involves handling fuels, chemicals, cargo residues, cleaning agents and other potentially harmful substances, often in confined or poorly ventilated
Mental health and psychosocial risks are widespread in maritime shipping and are closely linked to the structural conditions of seafaring:. there is a mental health crisis at sea, marked by concerning rates of depression (25 percent), anxiety (17 percent) and suicidal ideation (20 percent) among
The Flag of Convenience (FOC) system is a core, structural driver of human and labour rights risk in maritime supply chains. The FOC system enables shipowners to flag a ship in a country of their choosing, with little or no connection to where the ship is owned or operated, in order to reduce
Responsible companies have appropriate processes in place to review decisions to operate, source, or continue existing business activities in conflict zones, post-conflict or otherwise high-risk countries.
These circumstances increase the risk of gross human rights abuses, so companies must carry
Seafarer abandonment is an intentional abuse of seafarers’ human and labour rights and is a spiralling, systemic problem in the industry: record ship abandonment figures in 2025 marked the sixth year in a row of record-breaking abandonment, and a 31% year-on-year increase in abandonment.
A ship is
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