Sea Elephant
18 seafarers abandoned on the Sea Elephant (IMO 9175872, flag Guinea-Bissau) in Istanbul, Türkiye, 1 July 2026. ILO case 1831, status: Unresolved.
- Status
- Unresolved
- Abandonment ID
- 1831
- IMO Number
- 9175872
- Flag
- Guinea-Bissau
- Port of Abandonment
- Istanbul, Türkiye
- Abandonment Date
- 1 July 2026
- Notification Date
- 31 August 2026
- Seafarers
- 18
- Reporting Org.
- International Transport Workers' Federation
Circumstances
Outstanding wages for 3 months. One seafarer has been on board the vessel for more than 1 year.
Seafarers applied to insurer?: No
Insurance certificate dates: 28th March 2026 to 27th March 2027
Updates
24 September 2026: Guinea-Bissau
(From the International Ships Registry of Guinea-Bissau)
1. Reference is made to your email dated 11 September 2026 concerning the reported abandonment case of M/V SEA ELEPHANT (IMO No. 9175872) and the related entry in the joint IMO/ILO database.
2. For the purposes of verification of the case record, the International Ships Registry of Guinea-Bissau, acting as the competent Flag State Administration for the relevant period, wishes to provide the following comments. The Administration was first notified of the reported circumstances by the International Transport Workers’ Federation on 19 August 2026 and more specifically that 16 Filipino seafarers have been abandoned at the Kartal Anchorage area, Turkey, with 3 months' unpaid wages, lack of provisions, water and without repatriation for over a year, reportedly as a result of a commercial dispute between the owning company and a potential purchaser.
3. Immediately thereafter, the Guinea-Bissau International Ships Registry, through its competent Divisions:
a. required the immediate provision of supplies to ensure crew well-being;
b. requested documentary evidence of the settlement of the outstanding wages; and
c. required confirmed arrangements for the sign-off and repatriation of the seafarers concerned.
4. On 11 September 2026, G-B I.S.R. received the official notification for the addition to the ILO/ IMO Database of the abandonment case concerning MV SEA ELEPHANT, IMO No 9175872 who was reported by ITF as having on board 18 seafarers from Philippines who are abandoned in Istanbul, Türkiye on 1 July 2026, with outstanding wages of 3 months and one seafarer onboard for more than a year. Following the official notification of abandonment the Administration proceeded with a final cancellation notice, pending submission of the requested documentation by 22 September 2026.
5. Following the Administration’s intervention, information and supporting documentation were received concerning the official crew list, wage payments and repatriation arrangements for six seafarers, as well as the provision of supplies.
6. Subsequently, the ITF notified our Administration that following negotiations with the owning company of the concrete vessel, all the necessary documentation for the settlement of the issues raised was received and the case is considered closed. (see attached E-mail). In light of the ITF’s communication of 23 September 2026, the Administration requests that the case record reflect the wage payments and repatriations reported by the ITF, together with its assessment that the case is resolved. The ITF also advised that four seafarers remained on board and had agreed to be repatriated upon the vessel’s arrival at İzmir/Aliağa
7. The competent Divisions of the GB ISR remain at the disposal of the IMO and ILO Secretariats to provide any further clarification or additional supporting documentation that may be required for the verification and updating of the case record.
The Administration appreciates the continued cooperation of the IMO and ILO Secretariats and trusts that the above comments will be duly considered within the established procedural framework provided under the relevant international instruments governing the reporting, verification and follow-up of seafarer abandonment cases.