Abandoned ships, crew on rise since pandemic: ITF

NEW YORK, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- As of mid-November, a record 282 ships carrying more than 4,000 seamen had been abandoned by their owners this year, according to the International Transport Workers' Federation, or ITF, a labor union.

In 2023, the figure was 132 vessels.

"The figure rose when supply chains became snarled during the pandemic, and again when Western sanctions were imposed on Russian interests i