Four Indian sailors have been stranded for nearly ten months on the abandoned container ship AZRA C, which has been docked in the Sea of Marmara since August 2025. Maritime regulations require the vessel to remain manned, preventing the crew from leaving. The ship’s owners were arrested in January during a significant drug trafficking investigation, leaving the crew’s situation uncertain and dire. One sailor expressed feelings of despair, citing increasing mental strain and health issues, and lamented their inability to find a way out of their predicament.
The case underscores a troubling trend of vessel abandonments, a systemic issue within the maritime industry, according to the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF). ITF representative Selahattin Polat has called for the crew’s immediate disembarkation due to safety concerns, as the ship poses risks to navigation and maritime safety. Local shipping agents have ceased providing necessary supplies, further exacerbating the crew’s plight. International maritime law mandates that a ship must always have enough crew to handle emergencies, which keeps the stranded sailors from leaving until a replacement crew arrives.
The situation is particularly alarming, as 2025 has been recorded as the worst year for maritime abandonments, affecting over 6,000 seafarers globally. Turkey has seen a significant number of these cases, with 151 reported so far this year. The Indian consulate is involved in efforts to repatriate the stranded sailors, while the ITF and DAD-DER are providing essential supplies. Despite these efforts, the sailors remain skeptical about their rescue, with one stating that they would be overwhelmed with emotion if someone were to come and speak with them directly.
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