ITF Reports Shipowner Abandoned Seafarers in Las Palmas Due $68,000
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) is reporting another example of crew abandonment. In this case, the crew is working far beyond their contracts and is due $68,000. It attempted to arrange for the repatriation of the crew and now reports it is providing legal assistance to the crew to initiate the arrest of the vessel.
The situation began in May 2026 when one of the crewmembers aboard the general cargo ship Lady Mina (3,400 dwt) contacted the ITF while the vessel was in the Port of Las Palmas. An onboard inspection by ITF Inspector for the Canary Islands, Gonzalo Galan, said he found serious deficiencies both in the condition of the vessel and in the crew's living and working conditions.
They reported that six seafarers remain aboard the Lady Mina, which is now under detention. The first seafarer contacting the ITF was requesting assistance with repatriation after his employment contract had expired. Despite having served on board for more than 13 months – well beyond the 11-month maximum permitted under the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 – and repeatedly requesting repatriation, the shipowner failed to fulfil its obligations to the seafarers. The ITF inspector also found two seafarers had been on board since April 2025, while the Chief Engineer had been serving since October 2024, and without pay since January 2026.
"When I boarded the Lady Mina, it was immediately clear this crew had been left to fend for themselves," said Galan. "The Chief Engineer had gone six months without a single payment, yet he kept the vessel running because he had no other choice. This is not an oversight by the owner – this is abandonment."
After confirming the crew had been abandoned, the ITF reported the case to the Spanish Maritime Authority (Capitanía Marítima), which detained the vessel. The ITF further alleges that the Lady Mina is sailing without the required statutory certificates, while documentation for the financial security mandated under the MLC, designed to protect seafarers in cases of abandonment, appears to be fraudulent.
Initially, the shipowner arranged for two crew members to be repatriated and paid their outstanding wages. In addition, fresh provisions and drinking water were supplied to meet the crew's immediate needs.
The ITF, however, says that weeks later, the shipowner has failed to repatriate the remaining crew whose contracts have expired. It has also made no effort to repair the vessel, and continues to withhold the crew’s wages.
The ITF is now providing legal assistance to the crew to initiate the arrest of the vessel. Volunteers from the charity Stella Maris delivered additional food supplies to the crew.
The ITF alleges that this is not the first time this shipowner has abandoned a crew on this vessel. The vessel was reported to the ILO/IMO Joint Database on Abandonment of Seafarers in December 2024, after the owner had failed to pay the crew for five months and left them abandoned in Djen Djen, Algeria.
The circumstances of Lady Mina also remain unclear. Some databases list the ship as registered in St. Kitts & Nevis, and others report Tanzania. The ship was built in 1989 and is currently managed by Turkish interests.
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In February 2026, the ship was reported with 18 deficiencies during a Port State inspection in Ghana. The report cites structural conditions, fire safety, concerns with the radio, and working and living conditions.
The ITF says cases like this are becoming too familiar. It highlights an increase in the number of abandonment cases while calling for the authorities to increase enforcement to ensure shipowners meet their legal obligations.
