New York, Dec 7 (IANS): 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 labour 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 in 2022, causing a surge in illicit maritime trade. Before 2020, about 40 ships a year were left stranded by absentee owners," reports Xinhua news agency, quoting The Wall Street Journal on Friday.

"The obscure ownership structures make it difficult for enforcement authorities to do any more than impound the vessels," it noted.

"If it's a shadow vessel, you can't hold the owners into account because they are nowhere to be seen," Guy Platten, secretary-general of the International Chamber of Shipping, a body representing shipowners, was quoted as saying.