Survey Report Launch: Alarming Trends in Illegal Recruitment Fees in the Maritime Industry

Seafarers and Illegal Recruitment Fees: 2024 Insights is a joint publication by IHRB, the leading global think tank working to ensure corporate activity respects the rights of workers and communities, and TURTLE.

The survey questionnaire has been co-created by IHRB and TURTLE, with support from key industry partners including the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN), ISWAN, and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).

The research for 2024 shows that almost a third (31%) of seafarers have been asked to pay a recruitment fee to secure a job onboard a merchant vessel - of these, 28% were asked in 2024 - meaning the problem is both endemic and current.

• Almost half of those who were charged fees paid between 500 and 5,000 US $, with some seafarers reporting that they were charged more than 10,000 US dollars. The resulting debt is driving many seafarers into modern slavery and is associated with unsafe conditions on board ships

• The study also includes findings on the impact of recruitment fees on mental health, with almost three quarters of seafarers reporting that recruitment fee demands have an impact on their mental health.

• The research found that 74% of those who were asked to pay a fee did so, possibly because they felt they had no other choice. Staggering 80% of seafarers who were asked to pay illegal recruitment fees did not report the incidents to the authorities, as many were unaware that the practice was illegal.