Seafarer Abandonment, Industry Standards and a How-To for Start-ups Pondering 2026 Maritime Events

In this episode, Raal and Nick turn to a sobering ITF report showing seafarer and vessel abandonment at its worst-ever levels. They unpack what abandonment actually means in practice, why Indian seafarers are disproportionately affected, and how ownership structures, sanctions, and flags of convenience leave crews with little protection or recourse.

From there, the discussion broadens to transparency, data, and trust: why individual seafarers struggle to assess operator risk, how fragmented information limits accountability, and why even well-intentioned standards struggle to reach those most exposed. The conversation then pivots to the International Standards Organisation, illustrating how conformance standards quietly underpin global trade, from containers and currencies to unexpected examples like tea preparation.

The episode closes with a pragmatic look at modern shipping realities: USB sticks still moving critical vessel data, the absence of shared operational standards, and practical advice on navigating the 2026 maritime events calendar, including how to minimise chance, maximise learning, and extract real value from industry gatherings.

• 01:45 ITF data and the scale of seafarer abandonment
• 14:50 Flags of convenience and structural incentives
• 20:59 Why standards matter in global trade
• 26:18 ISO standards, from containers to tea
• 39:12 USB sticks, bay plans, and broken data exchange
• 43:00 Maritime events calendar for 2026

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