The Maritime Education Podcast
Captain Barry Sadler discusses maritime topics including recent changes to maritime practices, shipping incidents, new legislation, real life lessons from his ongoing pilotage career, hot MCA examination topics and maritime issues in general. With 40 years experience in the professional maritime field, Barry's take on various nautical and shipping matters is in depth and accurate with insightful views on all affairs maritime. If you work, watch or enjoy the sea his podcast will inform and entertain you.
The Maritime Education Podcast
Abandon Seafarer!
The trend in seafarer abandonment is clearly escalating. From an already catastrophic record in 2024, the situation continues to deteriorate in 2025—both in scale and severity. Key regions, flags of convenience, and weak enforcement remain persistent contributors to the crisis. 2024 marked a grim milestone, becoming the worst year on record for seafarer abandonment:
3,133 seafarers were abandoned onboard 312 vessels, an 87% increase from 1,676 seafarers and 132 vessels in 2023.
Unpaid wages totalled over $20 million, with only about half recovered.
Barry talks about the risks, reasons, laws and enforcement surrounding these disappointing numbers. With MLC in place the situation should be improving - Barry discusses why sadly this is not the case.
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At Captain Barry Sadler Maritime Training & Consultancy we deliver industry-leading online courses, oral exam preparation, and professional resources for deck officers, cadets, and maritime professionals. Fully aligned with UK MCA standards, our training helps you build knowledge, confidence, and a successful career at sea.
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