Seafarer abandonment does not always mean a crew has been physically deserted on a dead ship. Sometimes the vessel is still operating, the crew is still working and cargo is still moving, but wages have stopped, contracts have expired, repatriation is being delayed and basic provisions are beginning to disappear.

Julia Gosling and Adam Parnell are joined by Mohamed Arrachedi, ITF FOC Network Coordinator for the Arab World and Iran at the International Transport Workers’ Federation, for a powerful examination of what abandonment really looks like and why it continues despite protections already contained within the Maritime Labour Convention.

Mohamed works directly with seafarers facing unpaid wages, failed repatriation, unsafe living conditions and abandonment. He explains when a situation legally becomes abandonment, why crews should not wait until conditions become desperate before asking for help, and how failures in enforcement can allow abuse to continue.

The conversation also looks beyond the vessel itself. When a seafarer goes months without wages, the consequences can reach an entire family ashore, particularly when that seafarer is the household’s main source of income.

At its heart, this is a conversation about enforcement, accountability and the human cost of allowing abandonment to become normalised.

Resources referenced in this episode:
Seafarer Abandonment Series: Smart Seafaring. A Safe Return
https://youtu.be/fbg_frnyDy0

ITF Seafarers’ Bulletin 2026
https://www.itfseafarers.org/sites/default/files/node/resources/files/ITF-SB26_Layout_RGB-web-1.pdf

ITF Seafarers
https://www.itfseafarers.org

Prefer to read? Head to Yachting News at Yachting International Radio.
Prefer to watch? Find Sea Views on the Yachting International Radio YouTube channel.

────────────────────────────
SUPPORTED BY
CHIRP Maritime & The Seafarers’ Charity
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https://www.chirp.co.uk
https://www.theseafarerscharity.org

🎙️ Sea Views | Yachting International Radio

Early in her career, Ghada “Lili” Soliman was told that “no Arab has ever held a senior position in yachting.” Seven years later, she became Chief Stewardess on a 74-metre yacht. Her story raises a question the industry cannot afford to dismiss: how much talent is overlooked when an accent, nationality or passport is mistaken for a measure of ability?

Karine Rayson speaks with Lili, Founder of The Inner Harbour and a Chief Stewardess with more than 15 years in luxury yachting, about the assumptions that shape who gets heard, encouraged and promoted onboard. They discuss what it takes to speak up when the people you challenge can influence your career, and why staying silent can leave capable crew feeling small.

This is a candid conversation about discrimination and belonging, and about the responsibility captains and heads of department have to make it safe for crew to contribute, develop and lead.

In this episode, they discuss:
• The remark Lili was given early in her career and the path she took to Chief Stew
• How nationality, language and accent can affect opportunity onboard
• The quiet ways bias can make capable crew feel small
• Why speaking up does not have to mean the end of a career
• What psychological safety looks like in practice
• How captains and heads of department can recognise and develop talent beyond the loudest voices

Guest:
Ghada “Lili” Soliman
Founder, The Inner Harbour
Chief Stewardess, 15+ years in luxury yachting

Host:
Karine Rayson
The Crew Coach
https://www.thecrewcoach.com

🎙️ The Wellbeing Project | Yachting International Radio

Prefer to read? Head to Yachting News on the website:
https://www.yachtinginternationalradio.com/yachting-news

Search Yachting Channel on your favourite podcast platform for more conversations from across the global yachting industry.

At four years old, Ann Pletschke had already decided that she would one day command a ship. By 16, she was at sea, beginning a career that would take her across deep-sea cargo ships, North Sea offshore operations, passenger ferries, polar waters, autonomous shipping, vessel inspections and command.

In this candid conversation with Women in Maritime host Julia Gosling, Ann examines what it actually takes to build a career at sea, lead with credibility and challenge the parts of maritime culture that continue to place women at risk.

From career specialisation and lifelong learning to failure, resilience and psychological safety, Ann shares the experiences that shaped her approach to leadership, including what one difficult departure from Grimsby taught her about humility, further training and the danger of pretending that command means having every answer.

At the centre of the conversation is a difficult but essential question: does placing more women onboard automatically make women safer?

Representation matters, but numbers alone cannot replace accountability, confidential support, meaningful male allyship and leaders who create an environment in which people can speak up without fear. Ann and Julia discuss sexism, harassment and sexual violence at sea, the isolation experienced by many seafarers, and why support information must reach people while they are still onboard.

This is not simply the story of one woman becoming a captain. It is a thoughtful examination of what safety, equality and professional respect should look like across the maritime industry, and why lasting change depends on culture rather than appearances.

Ann Pletschke, MEng, MSc, CMMar, CMarTech, is a Master SDPO, OVID and eCMID AVI inspector, master mariner and marine consultant.

This episode includes discussion of sexual assault, sexual harassment, discrimination and trauma.

SUPPORT AND RESOURCES
Safer Waves, confidential support and information for seafarers affected by sexual violence or gender discrimination:
https://www.saferwaves.org/

ISWAN’s Safe at Sea campaign:
https://www.iswan.org.uk/our-work/safe-at-sea-campaign/

SeafarerHelp, free confidential support for seafarers and their families:
https://www.iswan.org.uk/seafarerhelp/

YachtCrewHelp, free confidential support for yacht crew and their families:
https://www.iswan.org.uk/yachtcrewhelp/

Sailors’ Society Trauma Therapy Grants:
https://sailors-society.org/trauma-therapy-grants/

Prefer to read? Read the full editorial on Yachting News:
https://www.yachtinginternationalradio.com/yachting-news

ABOUT WOMEN IN MARITIME
Hosted by Julia Gosling, Women in Maritime brings together honest conversations with the women shaping shipping, seafaring and the wider maritime world, exploring leadership, professional barriers, safety, equality and the realities behind building a lasting career at sea.

Women in Maritime is an original Yachting International Radio series and part of Yachting Channel, available across all major podcast platforms.

Women In Maritime | Yachting International Radio

Discover more original shows, expert voices and maritime stories:
https://www.yachtinginternationalradio.com/shows

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https://www.yachtinginternationalradio.com/