Nightmare at Sea: 22 Crew Members Trapped on Ghost Ship Off Kilifi as Owner Vanishes With Sh2 Million in Wages

KILIFI, Kenya – Twenty-two seafarers are living a nightmare aboard a stranded fishing vessel off Kilifi Creek, abandoned by their employer who has disappeared without paying them three months’ salary totaling over Sh2 million.

The multinational crew of FV Kivu Spear II, comprising 18 Kenyans and four foreign nationals from Indonesia, China, Tanzania and Pakistan, have been trapped on the vessel for more than 15 days without food, clean water or electricity after the ship’s generator broke down five days ago.

In a desperate bid for survival, the sailors are now relying on the mercy of well-wishers and local fishermen who bring them food and drinking water as they refuse to abandon ship until their wages are paid.

“The situation is bad. We have no food and we cannot leave until we are paid our dues. I expect to get about Sh110,000 for the days I haven’t been paid,” said Ezekiel Odhiambo, one of the Kenyan crew members, speaking by phone from the vessel.

Odhiambo revealed this is the fourth time in his career he has been abandoned at sea, but this incident is the worst because it is happening in his own country. He is now contemplating quitting the profession altogether.

The crew members, who are paid according to their job classifications, say they are owed salaries ranging from Sh30,000 to Sh70,000 per month for Kenyan workers, while expatriate crew members are paid in US dollars. None have received payment for at least three months.

The vessel has become embroiled in a murky ownership dispute that has left the crew as pawns in a legal battle beyond their control. Documents seen by The Star confirm that the Kenya Ports Authority ordered the vessel held over the ownership dispute, effectively trapping the crew in bureaucratic limbo.

East Africa Deep Fishing Limited, the vessel’s local placement agent, admitted the crew have been living without pay and confirmed they terminated all crew contracts on January 5 this year to disengage them after the employer ignored their concerns.

“We have been engaging the employer after it emerged there is a dispute over the ownership of the vessel. We terminated crew contracts since we do not know when the dispute will end,” an EADFL spokesperson said.

The agent confirmed pending salary arrears will be settled once the owner responds to their communications, but admitted the employer has gone silent.

“We have sent emails to the owner but he hasn’t replied. Once we get money from her, we shall pay the workers depending on their rates and arrears,” EADFL stated.

Mombasa Mission to Seamen Chaplain Moses Muli confirmed the crew reported the matter to the International Transport Federation, which has taken over the case.

“We have taken up the matter. We are coordinating to supply food, water and any medication as we plan how best to evacuate them. We understand they are living in deplorable conditions,” Muli said.

Former Seafarers Union of Kenya official Andrew Mwangura warned that seafarer abandonment is becoming an alarming trend not only along the Kenyan coast but globally.

“Abandonment typically occurs when shipowners fail to meet their basic obligations under international maritime law. Crews are left without wages for prolonged periods, denied repatriation at the end of their contracts, and sometimes abandoned on vessels that are no longer seaworthy or supplied,” Mwangura explained.

He said that while the Maritime Labour Convention of 2006 sets clear standards on crew welfare, including financial security to cover abandonment, the growing number of cases shows compliance and enforcement remain dangerously weak.

“In many instances, shipowners simply disappear, leaving crews trapped in legal and bureaucratic limbo,” he added.

According to the International Transport Workers’ Federation, more than 2,280 seafarers have been abandoned aboard 222 vessels so far in 2025, representing a troubling 30 percent increase compared to the previous year.

Tanzania recorded 26 abandonment cases in 2025, Comoros reported 18 cases, and South Africa also reported multiple incidents, showing the crisis extends across the region.

The Kenya Maritime Authority and Kenya Ports Authority have been drawn into the dispute, but the crew remains stranded as authorities work to resolve the ownership conflict.

As the standoff continues, the 22 crew members face an uncertain future, trapped between their right to fair wages and the complex legal machinery grinding slowly toward resolution. For now, their floating prison off Kilifi Creek serves as a grim reminder of the vulnerability of seafarers whose livelihoods depend on employers who can vanish without consequence.