'Want to go home': Indonesian crew abandoned off Africa demand wages

Surono, a 47-year-old engine technician from Indonesia, currently finds himself trapped in a grueling stalemate off the coast of West Africa. He and his fellow crewmembers have been living aboard the Novo Ruivo, a tuna fishing vessel, for months after being deserted by the ship’s owner. The crew now faces a painful choice: return to their families empty-handed after a year of backbreaking labor, or remain on the docked ship in the hopes of eventually recovering their stolen wages.

The financial toll on Surono’s family in Central Java has been devastating. With a monthly salary of $1,200—significantly higher than the local minimum wage—his income was the primary lifeline for his wife and three children. Now, his wife, Kiki Andriani, reports that the family has been forced into debt just to eat. The social shame is equally heavy; Surono’s children have even avoided school because they are too embarrassed by their inability to pay tuition fees.

Surono is far from alone in this struggle. According to the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), maritime abandonment reached record highs in 2025, leaving over 6,000 seafarers stranded globally. Under international guidelines, a ship is considered abandoned if the owner fails to pay wages for two months or refuses to cover the costs of sending the crew home. While the industry is massive, these workers often fall through the cracks of international law.

The ordeal began in September 2025 when the Novo Ruivo docked in Cape Verde to offload a successful catch. Instead of receiving their pay, the crew watched as the owner disappeared with their passports and their earnings. Surono is now owed upwards of $13,200. Despite the owner, Javier Martinez, claiming he hasn’t "abandoned" them because the ship still has electricity and food, the crew feels like prisoners on a vessel they once navigated with pride.

While the International Labor Organization (ILO) has treaties intended to protect those in the fishing industry, advocates argue these regulations are toothless. Experts note that current conventions lack specific timelines for wage payments, making them difficult to enforce. While Surono’s recruitment agency recently offered to cover half of his back pay, maritime inspectors warn that if the sailors leave the ship now, they will likely never see the remainder of the money they earned.

For now, the crew of Indonesians and Angolans survives on rice and frozen supplies, spending their days in the quiet heat of Porto Grande. For younger crew members like Wahyudin, the delay has put life milestones, such as his upcoming wedding, on indefinite hold. The ITF is currently exploring legal avenues to seize and sell the ship to settle the owner’s debts, but until then, the sailors remain anchored by the hope that their hard work wasn't for nothing.

This is a heartbreaking story. Abandoned at sea is bad enough, but then the owner plays Granny games, stealing wages and passports! The impact on Surono's family, struggling to eat and send children to school, is devastating. Hopefully, the ITF can help these seafarers recover their stolen earnings and dignity after a year of hard work.

That's a truly heartbreaking situation for Surono and his fellow crew members. It's awful to think of them stranded like that, and the impact on their families is devastating. The legal loopholes and lack of enforcement are clearly failing these workers. It's like they're trapped in a frustrating level of a difficult game, except there's no reset button. I hope ITF can find a solution quickly. To distract from the situation for a bit, I do enjoy some simple io games, maybe they would help in this case as well.

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