Twelve seafarers have been stranded aboard the Gas Falcon off Beira, Mozambique, for ten months due to a UK-based shipping company’s refusal to allow their departure. The crew, comprising three Pakistanis and nine Indonesians, has not been paid this year, collectively owed over $260,000 in wages. Captain Muhammad Aslam reported that the dire conditions and lack of supplies have severely impacted their mental health, leaving them in a state of anxiety about their uncertain future.
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) highlights a growing crisis of seafarer abandonment, with over 2,280 crew members stranded on 222 vessels this year, a 30% increase from the previous year. Many of these ships are registered in countries with lax regulations, allowing owners to evade responsibility, particularly in financially troubled situations. Gator Shipping Alfa, the owner of the Gas Falcon, has not addressed the crew’s repeated requests for basic provisions or their pleas to disembark.
Legal experts suggest potential recourse against Gator Shipping for breaching obligations to the seafarers. The Gas Falcon, which is currently uninsured, has a troubling history of crew abandonment linked to its owner, Federico Careri. The vessel is registered under Gabon’s flag, a practice that often enables shipowners to exploit weaker labor protections.
