Maria
23 seafarers abandoned on the Maria (IMO 9041772, flag Guinea-Bissau) in Lagos, Nigeria, 1 March 2026. ILO case 1795, status: Unresolved.
- Status
- Unresolved
- Abandonment ID
- 1795
- IMO Number
- 9041772
- Flag
- Guinea-Bissau
- Port of Abandonment
- Lagos, Nigeria
- Abandonment Date
- 1 March 2026
- Notification Date
- 23 July 2026
- Seafarers
- 23
- Reporting Org.
- International Transport Workers' Federation
Circumstances
Outstanding wages for 5 months. There are low supplies of provisions, drinking water, fuel and health issues on board
Seafarers applied to insurer?: No
Insurance certificate dates: N/A
Updates
20 August 2026: Guinea-Bissau
(From the Guinea-Bissau International Ships Registry)
1. Reference is made to the IMO Secretariat’s email dated 7 August 2026 concerning the reported abandonment of the 23 seafarers serving on board M/V MARIA (IMO No. 9041772), recorded in the IMO/ILO Joint Database on Abandonment of Seafarers under Abandonment ID 01795.
2. The present communication constitutes the comments of the Flag State Administration (Guinea-Bissau International Ships Registry, G-B I.S.R.) within the verification and consultation procedure established by the Joint IMO/ILO Ad Hoc Expert Working Group on Liability and Compensation regarding Claims for Death, Personal Injury and Abandonment of Seafarers.
3. For the purpose of ensuring the accuracy of the database entry, the Administration notes that the correct date of notification of the case by the International Transport Workers’ Federation is 23 July 2026, as per the respective indication on the database. The case was formally communicated to, and received by, the Flag State Administration through the IMO Secretariat’s email dated 7 August 2026.
4. Immediately upon receipt of the Secretariat’s communication, the competent Divisions of the Guinea-Bissau International Ships Registry initiated urgent follow-up with the vessel’s owning and management interests. The company was formally required to take immediate and effective action in respect of:
a. the settlement of all outstanding wages and other contractual entitlements due to the affected seafarers;
b. the safe and expeditious repatriation of the seafarers, at no cost to them; and
c. the reported shortages of food, potable water, fuel and other essential supplies, together with any necessary medical or welfare assistance.
5. The owner/management company has subsequently reported to the Administration that the outstanding wage liabilities were settled, repatriation travel was arranged, and the affected crewmembers were replaced on board. Documentary material submitted to the Administration—including wage-payment acknowledgements and the corresponding flight booking documentation— has been submitted to this Administration for potential verification by the IMO and ILO Secretariats and for consultation with the ITF, as the organization that originally reported the case. The enclosed documentation is transmitted exclusively in support of the verification of the remedial measures reported to the Administration. In view of the personal and financial information contained therein, the Administration respectfully requests that such documentation be treated as confidential verification material and that no unredacted personal data be reproduced in the publicly accessible part of the Joint Database
6. On the basis of the corrective action reported by the owner/management company and the supporting material presently available, the Flag State Administration (G-B ISR) considers that the substantive circumstances giving rise to the reported abandonment have been addressed. The Administration therefore respectfully requests the Secretariat to consult interested parties and, upon confirmation that the affected crew has been successfully repatriated and that all outstanding remuneration and contractual entitlements have been paid and duly received, to classify Abandonment ID 01795 as “resolved” in accordance with the applicable IMO/ILO database procedure.
6. The competent Divisions of the Guinea-Bissau International Ships Registry, reading this email in copy, remain at the disposal of the IMO and ILO Secretariats to provide any further evidence, verification or clarification that may be required for completion of the procedural assessment and closure of the case.
23 July 2026: International Transport Workers' Federation
This is the second time this vessel has been abandoned and arressted