Abandoned
Seafarer Map

Every year across the world, hundreds of seafarers are abandoned. They are left stranded in ports around the world by their employers — without pay, often lacking food, water, electricity and the means to go ashore or return home. The map shows all abandonments in the ILO database. It also shows the area of territorial seas. To read more about abandonment and sign up to our quarterly bulletins, open the menu in the top right.

This map (and the database it is built on) aim to make seafarer abandonment more visible. The database is open source and free to use, but please cite: Eliza Ader, Jacob Bolton, & Miriam Matthiessen, (2023), Map of Seafarer Abandonment.

This project began in August 2020, under the banner of Periplous. We update it quarterly — sign up for bulletins here. Questions and feedback are welcome; please get in contact by email, or on Twitter at @eliza_ader, @jpeg_bolton, or @miriammthsn.

Last updated: September 2023
Next update due: January 2024

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