As the global maritime community commemorates the Day of the Seafarer 2025, industry leaders are raising urgent concerns over the rising cases of unfair criminalisation, abandonment, lack of judicial expertise and systemic neglect of seafarers onboard ships and within port jurisdictions.
The Day of the Seafarer, observed every June 25, spotlights the need to ensure safe, respectful and just working conditions for maritime workers essential to sustaining the global supply chain.
Stakeholders warn that the continued failure of many governments to implement protective legal frameworks, along with the judiciary’s limited capacity to handle maritime cases, has led to severe disruptions in crew changes, compromised operational reliability and heightened reputational risks for the industry.
In addition to criminalisation, speakers at a global event at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), Headquarters in London, United Kingdom, drew attention to the burdensome costs of seafarer abandonment and detention, emphasising that maritime workers must not be left to shoulder the consequences of legal limbo due to administrative failure or negligence.
The President of the Merchant Seafarers Association of USA Inc. and Nigeria, Prof. Alfred Oniye, lamented the persistent culture of bullying, discrimination, and sexual harassment that many seafarers face onboard ships and during port calls.
He described the crisis as a “betrayal of professional standards and basic human decency”. Oniye raised concerns over the treatment of seafarers in Nigeria by government agencies operating at the nation’s ports.
He cited harassment and bullying of both local and foreign crew members at the nation’s ports by officials from the Nigeria Immigration Service, Port Health, Marine Police, and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), urging the federal government to rein in these practices.
“These agencies must be called to order. Every authority interacting with maritime workers must uphold fairness, professionalism, and dignity of the human person and lead by example. Our ports should reflect the same standards of safety and respect we demand aboard ships,” he stated
On the global scale, the General Secretary of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), Stephen Cotton, described the criminalisation of seafarers as a growing crisis that demands urgent and coordinated action.
He stressed that member states must go beyond policy formulation to actual implementation, noting that while the IMO/ILO guidelines exist, many governments continue to fall short in protecting the rights and dignity of maritime workers.
The IMO and ILO, with support from industry partners through the ILO–IMO Tripartite Working Group, have adopted new Guidelines on the Fair Treatment of Seafarers Detained in Connection with Alleged Crimes.
The guidelines, approved by the IMO Legal Committee (LEG 112) in April, address critical issues related to due process, protection from arbitrary detention, coercion or intimidation and the preservation of seafarers’ rights, such as wages, access to medical care, and repatriation—during legal proceedings.
Also, the Secretary-General of the IMO, Arsenio Dominguez, stressed that the well-being of seafarers must remain a shared global priority, calling for stronger legal protections, greater awareness and continued collaboration across the maritime community.
The Director of the International Labour Standards Department at the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Corinne Vargha, underscored the importance of ratifying and enforcing the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) as a critical step in protecting seafarers from criminalisation.
She urged organisations and governments to continue joining forces to ensure the widespread adoption of good practices in implementing the IMO/ILO Guidelines on Fair Treatment of Seafarers, and to raise awareness among prosecutors and judges about the unique nature of seafarers’ work—essential to ensuring their fair treatment.
Meanwhile, the Secretary General of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), Thomas Kazakos, called for strengthened cooperation across the maritime industry to protect seafarers from unfair criminalisation.
