Crew Abandoned on Lady Mina in Las Palmas Owed $68,000

Another Abandonment Case Surfaces in Las Palmas

According to a report by the Maritime Executive, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) has flagged a fresh case of seafarer abandonment involving the general cargo ship Lady Mina (3,400 dwt), currently detained in the Port of Las Palmas. Six crew members remain aboard, collectively owed roughly $68,000 in unpaid wages, and the ITF is now assisting them with legal steps to arrest the vessel.

The case came to light in May 2026 when a crew member reached out to the ITF seeking help with repatriation after his contract had lapsed. ITF Inspector for the Canary Islands, Gonzalo Galan, boarded the ship and documented serious problems with both the vessel’s condition and the crew’s living and working environment.

Contracts Stretched Far Beyond Legal Limits

One seafarer had reportedly stayed aboard for more than 13 months — exceeding the 11-month cap set under the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 — despite repeated requests to go home. Two other crew members had been aboard since April 2025, and the Chief Engineer since October 2024, going unpaid since January 2026.

Galan described the scene bluntly, saying it was obvious the crew had been left on their own, and that the Chief Engineer had gone six months without pay yet kept the ship operating because he had no alternative. He characterized the situation not as an administrative lapse but as deliberate abandonment.

Detention, Fraud Allegations, and a Partial Response

Following the ITF’s referral, Spain’s Capitanía Marítima detained the Lady Mina. The federation further alleges the vessel is operating without valid statutory certificates, and that documentation for the MLC-mandated financial security — insurance meant to protect crews in abandonment cases — appears to be fraudulent.

The owner did initially repatriate two crew members and settle their back pay, and arranged for fresh food and water to be delivered. But the ITF says that weeks later, the remaining crew’s expired contracts still have not been addressed, no vessel repairs have been made, and wages continue to be withheld. Stella Maris volunteers have since stepped in to deliver additional food supplies.

A Repeat Offender With a Troubled Record

The ITF alleges this is not an isolated incident for this owner and this ship. The Lady Mina was previously entered into the ILO/IMO Joint Database on Abandonment of Seafarers in December 2024, after the crew went five months without pay and was left stranded in Djen Djen, Algeria. Records on the vessel’s registry are inconsistent, with some databases listing St. Kitts & Nevis and others Tanzania; the 1989-built ship is currently under Turkish management. A Port State inspection in Ghana in February 2026 had already logged 18 deficiencies, spanning structural issues, fire safety, radio equipment, and crew living conditions.

What This Means for Owners, Managers, and Charterers

This case illustrates how abandonment rarely happens in isolation — it tends to accompany a broader pattern of deferred maintenance, expired certification, and weak financial safeguards. A vessel with 18 recorded deficiencies and allegedly fraudulent MLC insurance documentation is not simply a crew-welfare problem; it is a technical and compliance red flag that should have triggered closer scrutiny well before wages stopped being paid. For technical superintendents and charterers vetting tonnage, repeat entries in the ILO/IMO Joint Database, unresolved port state deficiencies, and inconsistent flag registration are precisely the kind of signals that independent condition surveys and pre-charter inspections are designed to catch. Verifying that MLC financial security documentation is genuine — not just present — should be a standard checkpoint, since counterfeit paperwork defeats the entire purpose of the safeguard. The ITF’s warning that abandonment cases are becoming more frequent underscores the value of proactive, third-party verification rather than relying on an owner’s self-reported compliance.

Reviewed by Ibrahim Halil Ceylan, Marine Surveyor at Apeks Marine.