'Want to go home': Indonesian crew abandoned off Africa demand wages

Indonesian nationals Surono (right), Rizal Harun (second right) and Wahyudin (left), and Angolan nationals Jose Viti (third left)) and Pedro (second left) crew members of the tuna longliner fishing vessel Novo Ruivo which sails under a Portuguese flag, posing for a picture at the Porto Grande port in Mindelo on Feb 5, 2026. - AFP

JAKARTA: Abandoned for months on their fishing boat off West Africa, Indonesian sailor Surono and his shipmates face a dilemma: return home without almost a year's wages or stay on the docked vessel.

He is among a growing number of migrant workers abandoned by shipowners, who flout their obligations and desert crews without paying the salaries owed.