The dark secret of freighters: one in fifteen sailors dies by suicide or mysteriously disappears
- Stella Maris Cadiz Y Ceuta
- 14 hours ago
- 3 min read
An ILO report reveals that 6.5% of deaths on merchant ships are confirmed suicides, while 22% are unexplained disappearances that could hide more tragedies
The numbers are chilling. Of the 403 cargo crew members who died in 2023 worldwide, 26 committed suicide and another 91 mysteriously disappeared overboard. These data, collected in the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) first global report on cargo ship mortality, reveal a hidden reality behind ocean trade routes: 6.5% of deaths are verified suicides and a worrisome 22% are classified as mysterious disappearances that could cover up accidents, homicides or more self-inflicted deaths.
Flags of convenience: the hidden face of global trade
Almost all the large freighters sailing around the world operate under flags of convenience. They are registered in countries such as Panama, Liberia or Cyprus, which do not have the real nationality of the shipping company, to benefit from tax advantages and, above all, more lax labour regulations: minimum wages, endless working hours and insufficient rest.
As the vessels are governed by the labour regulations of the country in which they are registered, seafarers' salaries vary between 658 and 1,400 euros per month. The lowest figure is the minimum wage set by the ILO Joint Maritime Commission. In the vast majority of cases, these seamen of oil tankers, bulk carriers and container ships work for placement agencies operating at a local level. Major shipping companies rely on firms from developing countries, mainly the Philippines (which provides a quarter of all crew in the world) and India.
An international agreement with few guarantees
Although the 2006 International Maritime Labour Convention is binding on all shipping companies, in practice it is very convenient for the employer. Leaves wage regulation to the discretion of each country and is not particularly demanding on working hours: it establishes a minimum of 10 hours of rest every 24 hours and a maximum of 14 hours of daily work, with a maximum of 72 hours per week.
These soft demands, combined with the technical difficulty for workers to report abuses on the high seas, make the contractual relationship of international seamen one of the most precarious in existence. Freedom United defines it bluntly: "slavery at sea" and "modern slavery".
Diseases, suicides and disappearances
The ILO report, which is still provisional, has been prepared with data from 51 countries. Of the 403 deaths reported, the leading cause was disease (139 cases), mainly cardiovascular accidents and heart attacks aggravated by physical demands of work, long working hours, chronic stress and limited access to medical care on the high seas.
The number of suicides, with 26 cases representing 6.5% of total deaths, highlights to health experts the mental stress faced by many seafarers
But it’s the suicides that set off all the alarms. With 26 confirmed cases (6.5% of the total), health experts point out the enormous mental stress suffered by seafarers. And there is more: of the 91 people who mysteriously disappeared overboard, it is estimated that many could also correspond to workers who decided to take their own lives.
The atmosphere is not easy"
Sailors have to live twenty-four hours a day with companions not always friendly, of different nationalities, cultures and religions, with which sometimes they can not even maintain a conversation because of the language barrier", explains to Southern Europe the Filipino priest Jovannie Postrano, based in Algeciras, who visits every day the crew of the container ships that land in the port. Their families, to top it off, are far away: they spend many months without seeing each other and also, in some cases, never putting a foot on the ground", he adds.
It is clinically documented that freighters suffer from stress, anxiety and above all depression and mood disorders with a much higher incidence than any other work group . The causes are multiple: overwork, social isolation, exposure to adverse environmental conditions, prolonged absence from home and lack of adequate rest, as reported by the International Transport Workers' Federation, Provides psychological support programs and access to mental health resources.
The reduced space in which crews work and coexist, shared rooms or new port facilities increasingly remote from cities contribute to the episodes of stress, anxiety, depression and loss of the sense of reality will manifest in a virulent way, according to the platform for professionals of the sea Marine Engineer.
Vikand, one of the leading international providers of medical care to merchant and cruise ship crews, insists that "suicide at sea should no longer be a hidden issue". The company proposes to prioritize well-being on board and ensure that all seafarers have access to the support they need, before it is too late.
Source: Translated from the Spanish Article
El oscuro secreto de los cargueros: uno de cada quince marineros muere por suicidio o desaparece misteriosamente ( Josè Angel Cadelo / Algeciras / 05 Oct 2025)
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