Maritime Leaders Forum
Trinity House, LONDON, EC3N4DH
Monday 21st September 2026
Abandonment of ships and crew is a fast-growing humanitarian challenge for global shipping. What was once an occasional consequence of owner insolvency is increasingly a structural feature, driven by financial distress, weak flag-state oversight, sanctions, and the proliferation of opaque ownership structures.
The joint International Labour Organization (ILO) and International Maritime Organization (IMO) database, which records reported cases of seafarer abandonment, has documented a sharp rise in recent years. (ILO/IMO Joint Database on Abandonment of Seafarers). Abandonment typically occurs when shipowners fail to pay wages for at least two months, cease providing food, fuel or essential supplies, or simply disappear, leaving crews stranded aboard vessels that may remain under arrest for months or even years. Although amendments to the Maritime Labour Convention require financial security to cover repatriation and unpaid wages, enforcement remains uneven.
According to the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), 2025 was the worst year on record, with 410 vessels abandoned and 6,223 seafarers affected—an increase of more than 30% compared with 2024. Cases continue to be reported throughout 2026, suggesting that the underlying drivers remain unresolved. (ITF: 'Seafarer Abandonment is in Crisis' | Seafarers International Union)
The interaction between sanctions and ship recycling is a growing concern. Vessels caught in sanctions regimes or associated with the “shadow fleet” may become commercially unemployable while also proving difficult to sell, insure or recycle responsibly. There is a risk that ships destined for lawful recycling will instead be abandoned in port, with crews left trapped aboard.
We hope this event will help take this urgent issue forward in the UK.
The Panel
Sarah Kenny, Chief Executive Officer, BMT (Moderator)
Jan Engel de Boer, Senior Legal Officer at the Legal Affairs Office of the Legal Affairs and External Relations Division, IMO
Stella Aber, Head of Programmes, The Seafarers' Charity
Siiri Duddington, Partner, Head of Sanctions, Hill Dickinson LLP
Nick Taylor, Head of Direct P&I, Miller
This event is a collaboration between Maritime London and Trinity House and is kindly sponsored by J & J Denholm Ltd
We look forward to welcoming industry leaders and future leaders to Trinity House to share their thoughts on this pressing issue.
The joint International Labour Organization (ILO) and International Maritime Organization (IMO) database, which records reported cases of seafarer abandonment, has documented a sharp rise in recent years. (ILO/IMO Joint Database on Abandonment of Seafarers). Abandonment typically occurs when shipowners fail to pay wages for at least two months, cease providing food, fuel or essential supplies, or simply disappear, leaving crews stranded aboard vessels that may remain under arrest for months or even years. Although amendments to the Maritime Labour Convention require financial security to cover repatriation and unpaid wages, enforcement remains uneven.
According to the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), 2025 was the worst year on record, with 410 vessels abandoned and 6,223 seafarers affected—an increase of more than 30% compared with 2024. Cases continue to be reported throughout 2026, suggesting that the underlying drivers remain unresolved. (ITF: 'Seafarer Abandonment is in Crisis' | Seafarers International Union)
The interaction between sanctions and ship recycling is a growing concern. Vessels caught in sanctions regimes or associated with the “shadow fleet” may become commercially unemployable while also proving difficult to sell, insure or recycle responsibly. There is a risk that ships destined for lawful recycling will instead be abandoned in port, with crews left trapped aboard.
We hope this event will help take this urgent issue forward in the UK.
The Panel
Sarah Kenny, Chief Executive Officer, BMT (Moderator)
Jan Engel de Boer, Senior Legal Officer at the Legal Affairs Office of the Legal Affairs and External Relations Division, IMO
Stella Aber, Head of Programmes, The Seafarers' Charity
Siiri Duddington, Partner, Head of Sanctions, Hill Dickinson LLP
Nick Taylor, Head of Direct P&I, Miller
This event is a collaboration between Maritime London and Trinity House and is kindly sponsored by J & J Denholm Ltd
We look forward to welcoming industry leaders and future leaders to Trinity House to share their thoughts on this pressing issue.
Price
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