Sea King
19 seafarers abandoned on the Sea King (IMO 9326641, flag Marshall Islands) in Lomé, Togo, 1 September 2025. ILO case 1461, status: Resolved.
- Status
- Resolved
- Abandonment ID
- 1461
- IMO Number
- 9326641
- Flag
- Marshall Islands
- Port of Abandonment
- Lomé, Togo
- Abandonment Date
- 1 September 2025
- Notification Date
- 15 September 2025
- Seafarers
- 19
- Reporting Org.
- International Transport Workers' Federation
Circumstances
Outstanding wages of 2 months
P&I/Financial security insurer: Gard (Bermuda) Ltd (initially reported by the ITF)
Seafarers applied to insurer?: No
Insurance certificate dates: 20th February 2025 to 20th February 2026
Updates
5 November 2025: International Transport Workers' Federation
All outstanding wages have been paid. Resolved.
30 September 2025: International Transport Workers' Federation
Thank you for your comments regarding the SEA KING.
We would, however, like to note the following in relation to the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC, 2006) definition of abandonment and wage obligations:
1. Abandonment is not limited to physical desertion of the vessel or crew. As per MLC Standard A2.5.2 and Guideline B2.5.1, abandonment occurs where a shipowner fails to cover the cost of repatriation, leaves seafarers without necessary maintenance and support, or fails to pay contractual wages for a for a period of two months or more. The delay in the payment of wages for June and July constitutes a breach of this fundamental MLC provision. Importantly, it does not matter whether the operator pays the outstanding wages an hour, a day, or even a week later, the non-payment at the due time already constitutes a breach and triggers the criteria for abandonment.
2. While the operator eventually settled the overdue wages following ITF intervention, the delayed payment created financial hardship and welfare risks for the seafarers, which aligns with the internationally recognised criteria for abandonment in the IMO/ILO joint database. The MLC explicitly recognises that failure to pay wages on time is a serious issue affecting seafarer welfare.
3. Recording this incident in the IMO/ILO abandonment database ensures transparency, accountability, and helps safeguard against recurrence. Even though the situation has now been resolved, the breach and its implications remain relevant.
4. The MLC, 2006, Regulation 2.3, Standard A2.3.2, and Guideline B2.3.2 require that seafarers are paid at least monthly and on time, in full and without unauthorised deductions, and whilst this is not abandonment criteria, it is nonetheless another breach of the MLC.
We remain available to provide further details or clarification if required.
29 September 2025: Marshall Islands
(From the Republic of the Marshall Islands Maritime Administrator)
Re your notification below, thank you for bringing this case to our attention.
The Republic of the Marshall Islands Maritime Administrator (the Administrator) as the flag State for the SEA KING (IMO# 9326641) is providing the following comments regarding the proposed entry to the ILO/IMO joint database on abandonment:
• The Administrator noted the operator was contacted directly by the ITF (with the Administrator copied in cc) on 29 August 2025 regarding a complaint received regarding overdue wages for June and July. The Operator responded promptly (3 hours later) that June and July wages have been settled, and proof of all payments were sent on September 3rd 2025.
• Subsequently, on September 10th, the ITF reported that August wages were unpaid. The operator confirmed had been settled on September 12th.
• At no time was the vessel or crew abandoned. This case was initiated in relation to a crew complaint, which had been promptly resolved. All due wages have been paid, and the complaint is considered resolved.
• Accordingly, the above matter is not considered to be a case of abandonment, but rather a situation successfully resolved through established complaint investigation processes. The Administrator considers this investigation closed, and requests the incident is not recorded as an abandonment case in the IMO/ILO joint database.
I remain available to provide any requested details pertaining to this matter, or elaborate further on any aspect if needed.
17 September 2025: Marshall Islands
(From the International Registries, Inc.)
Please accept this as acknowledgment of your email and that I will revert asap with any information we may have.
16 September 2025: International Maritime Organisation
The insurer is: Assuranceforeningen GARD – Norway