In 2025, 410 ships were abandoned at sea, stranding over 6,000 sailors and revealing alarming trends in global maritime trade.
The ghost ship scenarios from movies have become a reality. In 2025, a total of 410 ships were abandoned by their owners in the open sea.
Lonely ships drifting alone in the vast darkness of the ocean are often a staple theme of thriller films. However, the figures that have emerged in recent years prove that this frightening scenario is not fiction, but a sinister reality of global trade. According to data from 2025, exactly 410 ships were left to their fate in the middle of the sea.
Inside these massive metal heaps are not ghosts, but over 6,000 desperate sailors who have been waiting for months to return home.
The increase in cases of ship abandonment has reached a frightening level of 31% compared to the previous year. Experts attribute this rise to networks of ships known as 'shadow fleets,' where the ownership structure is obscured. Often, it is nearly impossible to determine who actually owns these vessels. Worse still, there is no insurance system in place to protect either the crew or the cargo being transported.
Ship owners register their vessels under the flags of other countries using the 'flag of convenience' method to evade taxes and fees. When things go wrong, they disappear without taking any responsibility, leaving the crew to face their fate alone in the open sea. Officials from the International Transport Workers' Federation state that these individuals, who bear the burden of the global economy, find themselves trapped thousands of miles away from home with no solutions in sight.
Struggle for survival at sea
Unlike the ghost ship tales in legends, those living on today’s abandoned vessels are fighting a real battle for survival. When the ship owner withdraws support, the captain is left completely devoid of funds to operate the ship. Even if the crew knows how to operate the vessel, it becomes impossible to run the massive engines without fuel or technical support. This situation prevents the crew from returning to port or meeting their most basic needs.
When a ship is abandoned, the situation is reported to organizations like the International Maritime Organization (IMO). However, bureaucratic processes move very slowly; finding the ship owner and enforcing legal sanctions can take months, or sometimes even years. A case is not officially considered resolved until all crew wages are paid and they are safely sent home.
In this environment of uncertainty, sailors are trapped in the middle of the ocean with dwindling food and water supplies. For these individuals, who have lost contact with the outside world and are waiting in a legal void, cargo ships become floating prisons. These sailors, the invisible victims of modern trade, often continue to drift along desolate routes without the public even being aware of their plight.
Source: SeaNews Türkiye
