The Directorate General of Shipping (DGS), India, has blacklisted 88 vessels and placed restrictions on 278 others in a sweeping enforcement action targeting ship operators found to have abandoned Indian seafarers at foreign ports. In total, 366 vessels have been identified up to 2026 in connection with abandonment-related cases, according to a recent DGS order.

Scale of the Problem

Abandonment occurs when a seafarer is left stranded at a foreign port without wages, food, or any repatriation effort. Indian seafarers are among the most abandoned globally. According to data released by the UK-based International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), as many as 1,125 Indian seafarers were abandoned in 2025 alone — a figure that prompted the DGS and allied agencies to escalate enforcement.

The DGS order describes abandonment as a 'serious violation of national maritime regulations and international obligations under the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC, 2006).' Ships involved in abandonment for the first time are placed under restriction, while repeat offenders are blacklisted outright.

What the Order Says

'A total of 366 vessels have been identified up to the year 2026 in connection with abandonment-related cases. Based on their severity, recurrence and the challenges faced during the enforcement and repatriation of Indian seafarers and the recovery of their outstanding wages, necessary action has been taken,' the DGS order stated.

Blacklisted vessels are barred altogether from engaging Indian seafarers. Restricted vessels face a conditional prohibition — they cannot hire Indian crew through any Recruitment and Placement Service Licence (RPSL) company approved by the DGS unless they demonstrate full compliance with applicable provisions.

Challenges Flagged by the Directorate

The DGS detailed a range of hardships faced by abandoned seafarers, including non-payment of wages, discrepancies between the vessel named in Seafarers' Employment Agreements and the actual vessel boarded, denial of compensation in death or missing cases, loss of sea service benefits, and severe psychological and financial distress to affected seafarers and their families. Multiple RPSL agencies being involved in a single recruitment chain was also cited as a complicating factor.

RPSL Licensees Put on Notice

The DGS has issued show cause notices to several RPSL licence holders for their involvement in abandonment cases, based on findings of the Director, Seamen's Employment Office, Mumbai (DSEO). Under Section 301 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 2025, read with the MLC, 2006, and the Merchant Shipping (Recruitment and Placement of Seafarers) Rules, 2016, RPSL licensees are legally bound to ensure valid statutory certificates, financial security for repatriation, timely payment of wages, and decent working conditions.

No RPSL company may recruit or deploy Indian seafarers aboard any vessel appearing in the ILO/IMO database on abandonment of seafarers. The prohibition takes effect immediately, the order stated, and will remain in force until compliance is duly established.

What Comes Next

The action signals a firmer posture from Indian maritime regulators toward vessel operators who exploit seafarers' vulnerability at sea. With India supplying one of the world's largest pools of merchant navy crew, the DGS's enforcement reach — and its coordination with international bodies such as the ITF and the ILO — will be closely watched by shipping companies operating in Indian waters and beyond.