Lucky Star
13 seafarers abandoned on the Lucky Star (IMO 1062469, flag Sierra Leone) in Kamsar, Guinea, 18 August 2025. ILO case 1431, status: Resolved.
- Status
- Resolved
- Abandonment ID
- 1431
- IMO Number
- 1062469
- Flag
- Sierra Leone
- Port of Abandonment
- Kamsar, Guinea
- Abandonment Date
- 18 August 2025
- Notification Date
- 20 August 2025
- Seafarers
- 13
- Reporting Org.
- International Transport Workers' Federation
Circumstances
Outstanding wages for 2.5 months
Seafarers applied to insurer?: No
Insurance certificate dates: N/A
Updates
18 November 2025: International Transport Workers' Federation
Crew repatriated with their owed wages.
Resolved.
5 November 2025: Indonesia
(From the Alternate Permanent Representative of the Republic of Indonesia to IMO)
On 20 October 2025, the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) in Dakar received information from Indonesian crew members of the vessel Lucky Star regarding the resolution of their case.
According to the information received, on 17 October 2025, the five Indonesian seafarers have been repatriated to Indonesia via Ethiopian Airlines.
Prior to their departure, all five crew members had received their outstanding financial entitlements in full, in accordance with their claims. These payments covered salary arrears for the months of May, August, September, and prorated October 2025 has been disbursed to the seafarers collectively.
Upon arrival in Indonesia, the seafarers were reported to be in good health and have safely returned to their hometowns.
The successful repatriation and settlement of rights for five Indonesian Seafarers from MV Lucky Star was made possible through the strong cooperation and coordination among various stakeholders, including: Sierra Leone Flag State, the Republic of Guinea Authorities, China MSA, Indonesia Authorities, as well as IMO and ITF.
The Embassy of Indonesia expresses its appreciation for the assistance and collaboration of all parties involved, which ensured the prompt and satisfactory settlement of the crew members’ rights and their safe return to Indonesia.
3 November 2025: China
(From the Maritime Safety Administration of the People's Republic of China, Guangdong Agency)
China MSA has maintained close communication with the crewing agency and instructed the agency to assign dedicated personnel to closely follow up on the incident. First, the crewing agency has been actively comforting the seafarers and their families, understanding their concerns (including timely supply of provisions on board, payment of overdue wages, and, if the above cannot be resolved, arranging for disembarkation as soon as possible), and providing psychological support. Second, the crewing agency has been contacting the ship management company and the shipowner to facilitate a settlement with the dispatched seafarers regarding delayed wage payments.
As of 4 September, the vessel's supplies were being delivered in a timely manner. On 5 September, the shipowner paid the wages due up to the end of August. After the vessel resumed operations, work restarted and the outstanding wages have been gradually settled. On 14 October, the master disembarked due to passport expiration. At present, the families and the other crew members on board are emotionally stable and have expressed that, given the positive progress of the situation, they do not intend to disembark for the time being.
4 September 2025: Sierra Leone
(From the Sierra Leone Maritime Administration)
Greetings from Sierra Leone Maritime Administration.
Please note that the Administration is in contact with the shipowners and the responsible P&I in order to resolve this MLC Complaint as soon as possible.
Please find attached relevant report for your reference.
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M/V LUCKY STAR is a 10193 Gross Tonnage and 141.66 meters long Bulk Carrier. Owning and management company of the vessel is “HAINAN AO NA XI SI SHIP CO., LTD”. The responsible Recognized Organization was Union Bureau of Shipping (UBS).
Vessel was firstly registered under the Flag of Sierra Leone for a single delivery voyage from China to Guinea on 27/06/2024. Vessel was register under normal registration on 31/12/2024.
On 21/08/2025, the Administration has received a notification by ITF for an MLC complaint onboard M/V LUCKY STAR. As per the information received, crew members of M/V LUCKY STAR are unpaid since 05/2025. In addition, some crew members have expired Seafarer Employment Agreements.
On 25/08/2025, the Administration has requested an official explanation by the shipowners of the vessel for the MLC Complaint.
On 26/08/2025, the shipowners replied the below:
“Our company initiated this transshipment business at the beginning of last year, and the vessel arrived in Guinea at the end of November 2024. However, since the client suspended operations, our vessel has not been able to work up to now. In addition, the actual investment in this project has far exceeded the budget, which has caused financial strain for our company. We expect operations to commence at the beginning of next month, by which time all issues will be resolved.
As for provisions, the captain has already placed an order with the agent, who has promised delivery to the vessel by Sunday, or at the latest within 1–2 days. Regarding wages, the company is making every effort to raise funds, and part of the salaries will be paid to the crew first.
With respect to crew leave, since the current anchorage is relatively far, the vessel will be moved to the working anchorage at the beginning of next month, after which their leave will be arranged as soon as possible.”
The Administration informed the shipowners that the provided explanation cannot be accepted and requested evidence for the actions taken to resolve the MLC Complaint. No response was received and a prohibition from sailing was issued on 01/09/2025.
The responsible P&I (Sun Re Ltd) of the vessel is also informed about this case and necessary actions will be taken to resolve the case.
20 August 2025: International Transport Workers' Federation
5 Indonesian crew reporting owed wages, 3 of the 5 have been on board over 1 year