The average illegal seafarer recruitment fees amount to $1,800

The Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) includes the employer pays principle, but a presentation at Seatrade Maritime Crew Connect Global 2023 revealed that the problem of seafarer exploitation persists. TURTLE surveyed over 5,000 seafarers and found that 40% had experienced corruption related to recruitment or while working onboard ship, with 70% of those cases occurring during the recruitment process. Over 50% of these cases occurred in the last three years, and 70% were not reported by the seafarers.

The Mission to Seafarers also conducted a survey with John Moore’s University, finding that recruitment fees charged ranged from $100 to $7,500, with an average of around $1,800. Some seafarers reported being forced to pay fees under threat of their application being rejected, while others had to pay to retrieve their certificates. In one case, seafarers were charged a $2,000 recruitment fee and faced pressure from a credit bureau even after their ship was abandoned.

Despite efforts by organizations like the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and some governments to ban illegal agents and crack down on exploitation, the problem of seafarer exploitation persists. The issue of recruitment fees and corruption continues to affect seafarers, highlighting the need for further action to address this ongoing problem.

Source .