Twelve crew members of the ship "Novo Ruivo" have been stranded in Mindelo for months without pay after the Portuguese shipowner abandoned the vessel.
Porto Grande, in Mindelo, has become the scene of prolonged anguish for twelve sailors—six Indonesians and six Angolans. These men are stranded aboard the Novo Ruivo, a Portuguese-flagged tuna fishing vessel, facing a devastating dilemma: return to their home countries without the money they are owed, or remain on the vessel in the hope of receiving nearly a year's worth of unpaid wages. Engineer Surono, 47, epitomizes this crisis, reporting that his family in Indonesia is struggling to make ends meet while he remains stranded in Cape Verdean waters.
Accumulated debts and abandonment
The ship was judicially seized in Cape Verde on December 11, 2025, due to debts accumulated by the owner, a company registered in Lisbon. According to reports from the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), the shipowner effectively abandoned the vessel in September, taking documents with him and leaving behind a wage debt that now exceeds €45,000 in total. For Surono individually, the debt amounts to about $13,200, corresponding to five months of work at sea and another five months of forced waiting in port.
Life on board and assistance
The crew's survival has depended on local solidarity and the intervention of Cape Verdean port authorities, who have provided basic supplies. The ITF has been working with the Indonesian Embassy in Dakar to facilitate repatriation, but the seafarers have refused to leave without a guarantee of payment. They fear that by abandoning the ship, they will lose their only legal recourse to recover the money needed to pay off debts incurred to obtain employment and pay for their children's education.
Who is the responsible shipowner?
The ship belongs to a commercial company registered in Portugal. Under international maritime law, Portugal, as the "flag state," has a responsibility to monitor compliance with the Maritime Labor Convention. The owner claims to be trying to obtain financing to settle the arrears, but so far, no concrete solution has been presented to the men stranded in Mindelo, exacerbating the feeling of abandonment and despair on board.
A systemic problem at sea
The case of the Novo Ruivo reflects a global crisis. Recent data indicates that 2025 and early 2026 saw record levels of crew abandonment. These situations often involve ships from companies that go into financial collapse, leaving migrant workers vulnerable. Cape Verde, due to its strategic location, often becomes the last port of refuge for these dramatic situations, requiring increased attention from human rights protection institutions.
Conclusion
It should be noted that this situation in Mindelo arises in a context of a global increase in cases of abandonment of seafarers, where the lack of compulsory insurance on the part of shipowners leaves crews unprotected. The outcome of the "Novo Ruivo" case in São Vicente will be a test of the effectiveness of international maritime laws in Cape Verdean territory.
Caboverde24.info
Source and photo:AFP (Agence France-Presse) / ITF
Editorial Note: The statements published reflect the reports made by crew members and union inspectors to the international press; attempts to contact the owner company have not resulted in any further clarification to date.
