Factsheet
Wages
Your wage rates will depend on whether you are serving on a national flag vessel or a ship covered by an ITF agreement.
ITF Seafarers
Seafarers move the world, sustaining our economies and communities – but they routinely face exploitation. The ITF fights for seafarers’ rights.
What can we help you with?
Find out more
Factsheet
Trade unions
Being a member of trade union can mean the difference between getting the medical help you need when you break a bone or suffering for a lifetime without proper treatment.
Factsheet
ITF Warlike and high risk areas
Warlike and High-Risk areas are parts of the world where it is considered that there is a high level of exposure to safety and life risks due to a war, military tension, hostilities, pirate activity and other circumstances causing immediate danger to visiting vessels and their crews.
Factsheet
Non-payment of wages
Unpaid wages are the most common complaint which the ITF receives from seafarers
Resource
ILO Minimum Wage Jan 2021 -Consolidate Interpretation
Using Joint ITF/ISF Interpretation of the ILO Recommended Minimum Wage for an AB - extrapolated on basis of
Rates applicable from 1st January 2021
Factsheet
The IMO
The IMO is the global standard-setting authority for the safety, security and environmental performance of international shipping.
Factsheet
If your wages have not been paid
Situations are easier to resolve if you have not been paid for two months than if you have not been paid for nine months, do not delay.
Explore
YOUR RIGHTS
As a seafarer you have rights - employment rights, legal rights, trade union rights and human rights. Ensure you know your rights and what to do when things go wrong.
WOMEN AT SEA
Women have proven that working at sea can be a positive and rewarding career. Find out more about women-centred sources of support and information
MANNING AGENTS
Let us guide you through the recruitment process. Advice on finding an agent, avoiding scams and ensuring you have the right contract.
HEALTH & WELLBEING
Stay healthy and happy at sea. Learn about wellbeing illness and disease.
Find the nearest welfare centre to your port.
DIRECTORIES
ABANDONMENT LIST
Every year, the ITF and its affiliates deal with a number of cases of ‘abandonment’, where a shipowner ‘abandons’ their responsibilities for the ship and its crew. View the current reported cases.
CRIMINALISATION LIST
Criminalisation is one of the most serious problems facing seafarers today. When there has been a maritime accident seafarers have often been detained and denied access to normal rules of fair play and justice.
BREACH OF RIGHTS INDEX
Shipowners, ship managers, flag states or other parties, which warrant inclusion on the ITF Seafarers’ Breach of Rights Index.
RED LISTED RECRUITMENT AGENCIES
The ITFShipBeSure website provides advice on finding a manning agent, avoiding recruitment scams and ensuring you have the right contract.
SEAFARERS’ WELFARE CENTRE INDEX
Find out if there is a seafarer centre in the port. Seafarers’ centres can provide advice, someone to talk to, facilities to contact home and a place where you can relax away from the ship.
WELLBEING DIRECTORY
Wellbeing is the experience of health, happiness and life satisfaction and not just the absence of disease or illness.
LATEST MARITIME NEWS
The latest news on the issues affecting us all, and the actions we’re taking to improve our workers' lives and futures.
News
15 July 2025
Seafarer abandonments cases surge by 30% in 2025
Over 2,280 seafarers have been abandoned aboard 222 vessels so far this year – with $13.1 million in unpaid wages and a 30% year-on-year increase in cases
New figures released today b
News
03 July 2025
ITF raises alarm over rising dangers to seafarers in Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Oman and Israeli waters
The ITF voiced its concern this week to the Joint Negotiating Group (JNG) regarding the Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Oman and Israeli ports and asked that these areas be designated as Warlike Op
News
27 June 2025