Seafarer welfare advocate Warwick Norman is dismayed at the inability of industry and global shipping bodies to address the issue of crew abandonment.

2020 saw an increased number of abandonment cases as shipowners struggled financially under the burden of Covid-19. Cases spiked at 75 worldwide, and this year does not show signs of being any better.

“This is unacceptable,” said Norman, the founder and retired chief executive of RightShip.