The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) has raised serious concerns over the continued abandonment of six seafarers aboard the general cargo vessel Lady Mina (IMO 880113), which remains detained at the Port of Las Palmas, Spain, following the discovery of multiple alleged violations of international maritime regulations.
According to the ITF, the six remaining crew members are collectively owed more than US$68,000 in unpaid wages after months of working without proper payment or repatriation. The case has once again highlighted the ongoing challenge of seafarer abandonment and the importance of enforcing the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC 2006).
Although the ITF has not officially identified the shipowner or vessel’s flag, public shipping records indicate the registered owner is Tav Bosphorus Shipping, while vessel tracking databases suggest the ship recently changed its flag from St. Kitts & Nevis to Tanzania.
The case first came to the attention of the ITF on 23 May 2026, when a crew member contacted the ITF Inspectorate in Las Palmas seeking assistance after his employment contract had expired. Investigations revealed that several crew members had remained onboard for more than 13 months, exceeding the 11-month maximum continuous service period permitted under MLC 2006, despite repeatedly requesting repatriation.
During an onboard inspection, ITF Inspector Gonzalo Galan identified numerous deficiencies affecting both the vessel’s condition and the welfare of its crew. Two seafarers had been onboard since April 2025, while the Chief Engineer had remained onboard since October 2024 and reportedly had not received wages since January 2026.
Following confirmation that the crew had effectively been abandoned, the ITF reported the matter to the Spanish Maritime Authority, which subsequently detained the vessel.
Further inspections reportedly found that Lady Mina was operating without several mandatory statutory certificates. In addition, documentation relating to the compulsory financial security required under the Maritime Labour Convention—intended to protect abandoned seafarers—was alleged to be fraudulent, raising additional concerns regarding regulatory compliance.
Following negotiations, two crew members were successfully repatriated and received all outstanding wages. Emergency provisions, including food and drinking water, were also delivered to support the remaining crew.
However, according to the ITF, the owner has since failed to repatriate the remaining six seafarers, has not repaired the vessel and continues to withhold outstanding wages.
Humanitarian support has been provided through the Port Welfare Committee of Las Palmas and Stella Maris, whose volunteers supplied additional food and welfare assistance to the crew.
The ITF has now initiated legal action to seek the arrest of the vessel and recover the outstanding wages while continuing efforts to secure the repatriation of all remaining seafarers.
This is reportedly not the first abandonment case involving Lady Mina. The vessel was previously listed in the ILO/IMO Joint Database on Abandonment of Seafarers in December 2024, following another case involving unpaid wages and crew abandonment in Djen Djen, Algeria.
The incident serves as another reminder of the critical importance of enforcing international labour standards, ensuring shipowners meet their legal responsibilities and protecting the welfare, dignity and rights of seafarers worldwide.