Tanzania flagged for crew abandonment

ITF highlights plight of seafarer on Tanzanian flagged vessel

Announcing the release of a seafarer who had been stuck on board a Tanzanian flagged vessel for more than a decade, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) has hailed the African flag as one of the worst offenders for failing to step in when crew have been abandoned.

The ITF reported 15 abandonments in 2020-22 alone. “How can it be that Tanzania has never responded to a single one of the abandonment cases of seafarers on board ships flying its flag?” said Mohamed Arrachedi, ITF Flags of Convenience Network Coordinator for the Arab World and Iran.

Twelve years ago, Abdul Nasser Saleh took a job as an engineer on board the Al Maha. By the end of his ordeal, Abdul, a Syrian national, was owed over US$178,000 in wages and had not been paid for nine years – but he knew that if he stepped off the ship, he would be unlikely to ever see a cent.  

“The story of Abdul Naser Saleh is a clear example of something that should have never happened,” said  Arrachedi. “At the ITF, we will never accept the abandonment of any seafarer as just one of those things. Nor do we accept the impunity with which some ship owners deal with their crew as if this is normal.”  

“We witness seafarers with no contracts, unpaid for months, and where the mere call to the ITF or to one of our unions to seek assistance results in threats and pressure.  

“Yet seafarers are bravely standing up for their rights. Industry and maritime regulators must listen. The flag state and port state have a very clear and central role to play to uphold their obligations,” said Arrachedi. 

“I’m disappointed that Tanzania doesn't feel it needs to do anything in response to continuous abandonment problems with ships flying its flag,” said said Steve Trowsdale, the ITF’s Inspectorate Coordinator.  

“What we see is ship owners who want to evade their responsibilities, selecting flag states they know will take little or no interest in enforcing standards. That saves them money but means crews find themselves on inadequate vessels, uncertain about how much and when they might be paid. Abdul Naser Saleh’s story is an extreme example but, unfortunately, cases like his are all too common.” 

“As in this case, it is ITF’s experience that the Tanzanian Flag does not take action when it receives requests relating to seafarer welfare, despite its commitment to the Maritime Law Convention,” said Trowsdale.  

“Our view is that a country should not operate an open registry unless it has the capacity to enforce basic labour rules on the ships it registers. A case like that of Abdul Naser Saleh would never have happened were it not for the Flag of Convenience system.” 

Photo source: ITF website

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