Ghost ships may sound like the sort of thing talked about around a campfire, but instances of owners abandoning their ships and crews at sea are very real.

A growing number of tankers and other commercial vessels are being ditched by their owners.

In 2025, a staggering 410 commercial ships were abandoned globally, leaving over 6,000 sailors stranded without pay or food. Indian sailors were the most affected with 1,125 cases.

The number of oil tankers and other commercial ships abandoned by their owners rose sharply last year, leaving thousands of sailors stuck at sea without pay, food or a way home.

More ships than ever are abandoned around the world by their owners, according to the United Nations' labor and maritime organizations, leaving thousands of workers stuck on board without pay or the ...

Abandoned for months on their fishing boat off West Africa, Indonesian sailor Surono and his shipmates face a dilemma: return home without almost a year's wages or stay on the docked vessel. "I want ...