Four Indian sailors who were stranded for 10 months on an abandoned container ship off the coast of Turkey have been evacuated from the vessel, an inspector told Agence France-Presse on Monday.
The four had been stuck aboard the Mongolia-flagged AZRA C, which has been moored off İstanbul in the Sea of Marmara since August 2025.
The ship’s alleged owners were arrested in January in connection with a major international drug bust, leaving the vessel’s fate and the sailors on board in limbo.
“The hardship experienced by the crew has come to an end,” Selahattin Polat, Turkey representative of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), told AFP.
The crew had spoken of their distress last week, communicating with AFP through an intermediary.
The ITF and the Marine Employees’ Solidarity Association (DAD-DER) had been providing the sailors with fresh drinking water and basic supplies.
Under international maritime law, ships must have enough crew members on board at all times to respond to emergencies, whether in port or at anchor.
But Polat said no replacement crew had arrived.
“The new crew did not arrive. The ship was left unmanned,” he said, adding that “its security will be ensured by other means.”
He said legal steps to deal with the abandoned ship were ongoing.
The case highlights the growing problem of vessel abandonment, which the ITF says has become a “systemic” issue in the maritime industry.
ITF figures show that 2025 was the worst year on record for abandonment, affecting 6,233 seafarers on 410 ships, with Indian nationals the most affected.
Turkey recorded the highest number of abandonments last year, with 61 cases.
There are currently 15 foreign-flagged vessels classified as abandoned at anchor in the Sea of Marmara, which lies between the Bosporus Strait, leading to the Black Sea and the Dardanelles Strait, the gateway to the Mediterranean.
© Agence France-Presse