Seafarers on board a VLCC were left stranded without fuel after the tanker was abandoned for a third time in two years, dumped by its flag state and hit by US sanctions, a union has told shipping’s global regulator.
Crew members from the 300,000-dwt MS Melenia (built 2005) sounded the alarm in February after they were left without fuel and navigation lights and running out of food, according to the International Transport Workers’ Federation.
Ship tracking shows the tanker spent months off the coast of Venezuela.
The ITF cited the case of the Melenia as an example of the failure of flag and port states to take action, even after a ship has been abandoned.
The Melenia was reportedly abandoned twice in 2024 before the latest incident, it said.
“The number of repeat cases shows that there is little follow-up from authorities to prevent recurrence,” the union told the legal committee of the International Maritime Organization.
“Shipowners who repeatedly abandon seafarers and do not have financial security must have consequences.
“The guidelines on how to deal with seafarer abandonment cases outline the appropriate steps that should be taken. And yet repeat cases are increasing.”
Three vessels experienced this three times among more than 300 cases of abandonment in 2024, a record high, said the ITF. Several more, including the Melenia, were reported twice in 2024.
The Melenia was then hit by US sanctions in December 2024 and dropped by its flag state, Panama.
It was among nine VLCCs listed by the US, which cited their alleged role in hauling billions of dollars of Iranian oil and involvement in unsafe shipping practices.
“The crew have now found themselves flagless and subject to a sanctions regime that makes most private and state parties unwilling to help them,” said the ITF.
The union said the crew, consisting of four Ukrainians and 21 Georgians, managed to secure emergency fuel to navigate to port in Venezuela, where the vessel was subsequently arrested.
Two of the crew were taken to hospital on Friday and the remainder were told they were being quarantined for a fortnight. The union said it was now hopeful they could be repatriated.
Authorities have warned that abandonment cases are spiralling, with 310 reported in 2024 a major leap from the previous year of 142. That was also a record.
Data collected over the past 20 years has identified 1,145 abandonment cases affecting more than 16,500 seafarers. More than one-third of the cases are either disputed or unresolved, according to the IMO.
By the end of 2024, 108 states had signed up to the Maritime Labour Convention, known as the seafarers’ “bill of rights”, which is supposed to guarantee compensation to seafarers and their families in the event of abandonment.(Copyright)
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