Indonesian sailor Surono and his crew find themselves stranded on their fishing boat off West Africa, grappling with a tough decision: return home empty-handed after nearly a year of work or remain aboard the abandoned vessel. Surono, like many migrant workers, has been left without payment as shipowners neglect their responsibilities. He expressed his family’s distress over their financial struggles, emphasizing the urgent need for income to support his wife and children back in Indonesia.
Surono, who was hired to work on the Portuguese-flagged tuna longliner Novo Ruivo, has been stuck in Cape Verde since September 2025, after the ship’s owner left without settling the crew’s wages. With a monthly salary of $1,200, he is now owed over $13,000. His wife, Kiki, revealed that they had to incur debt to survive, highlighting the emotional toll this situation has taken on their family.
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) has intervened, reporting the abandonment to authorities and reaching out to the Indonesian embassy. While the shipowner claims to be working on the issue, the crew remains concerned about their future. They face the possibility of legal action to recover their wages, with the ITF exploring options to seize the vessel to cover the owner’s debts.
