Maritime Labour and Trade Union
ITF Sounds Alarm at 100-Day Mark of Middle East War as Over 20,000 Seafarers Remain Stranded
ITF Sounds Alarm at 100-Day Mark of Middle East War as Over 20,000 Seafarers Remain Stranded
Global labour body demands ceasefire, crew protections and UN-led diplomacy as Persian Gulf shipping crisis deepens
By Okeoghene Onoriobe | Waterways News
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) has used the 100-day milestone of the ongoing Middle East conflict to issue an urgent call for a ceasefire and the strengthening of protections for seafarers and other civilian transport workers caught in the crossfire of a war they had no part in starting.
The global maritime and transport labour federation, marking 100 days since US and Israeli strikes on Iran ignited the conflict on 28 February, described the ongoing hostilities as a war that “civilian transport workers did not start, cannot end and have paid for — with their lives, their health and their freedom.”
Seafarers Bearing the Cost of War
Transport workers across the global supply chain have been drawn into the violence. Airport staff were among the casualties of early attacks, while seafarers have faced a mounting wave of incidents at sea as hostilities spilled into some of the world’s most critical shipping lanes.
Shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf — which together facilitate roughly a fifth of global oil trade — has come under repeated assault, with vessels struck, seized and crew members killed, injured or taken into detention.
Data from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) records 42 confirmed maritime incidents in the region between 1 March and 8 June, with at least 11 seafarers confirmed dead.
The human toll extends well beyond fatalities. The ITF says more than 20,000 seafarers are currently stranded in the Persian Gulf, unable to be repatriated or rotated off vessels, effectively held in limbo by a conflict over which they have no control. The federation has received more than 2,500 requests for assistance since hostilities escalated, and says it has so far managed to facilitate the return home of over 600 seafarers.
Labour Protections Under Threat
The ITF raised particular concern over what it described as the weaponisation of force majeure clauses by some employers, alleging that certain shipping companies have invoked the legal provision to extend crew contracts beyond agreed terms, restrict onboard communications and delay the repatriation of seafarers. The federation characterised this as an exploitation of wartime conditions to erode hard-won labour protections.
The ITF demanded full and uncompromised enforcement of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), the international instrument that underpins seafarers’ rights globally. It called specifically for guaranteed crew changes, timely wage payments, unimpeded access to communication with families and the assurance of safe passage home.
Demands for Action
Beyond welfare concerns, the ITF set out a series of demands directed at governments, shipowners and international institutions. These include an immediate ceasefire, the unconditional release of all detained seafarers and vessels, and respect for civilian maritime infrastructure under the established principles of international humanitarian law.
On the question of humanitarian shipping corridors, the ITF insisted that any such arrangement must operate only on the basis of binding, verified security guarantees — not ad hoc assurances — and called on the United Nations to lead urgent diplomatic efforts toward a durable resolution under the UN Charter.
Nigeria Watch
The Persian Gulf crisis carries direct and measurable implications for Nigeria’s maritime and energy sectors.
Nigeria’s crude oil exports compete in the same Asian and European markets that rely heavily on Persian Gulf supply. As shipping disruptions push war risk insurance premiums higher and complicate tanker routing, upward pressure on freight costs for Nigerian crude cargoes is an indirect but real consequence — one that port operators, commodity traders and shipping lines operating in Nigerian waters will need to monitor.
For MWUN — the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria — and the broader community of Nigerian seafarers, the ITF’s intervention is also a reminder of the value of affiliation with global labour structures. With thousands of Nigerians serving aboard vessels in international trade, the protections embedded in the Maritime Labour Convention are not abstractions. They are practical safeguards that, as events in the Persian Gulf demonstrate, can be tested — and threatened — by geopolitical forces entirely outside a seafarer’s control.
NIMASA, as Nigeria’s flag state administration and the body responsible for the welfare of Nigerian seafarers on international voyages, has both a mandate and a reputational interest in monitoring repatriation cases involving Nigerians in the affected zone, and in affirming publicly its alignment with MLC enforcement.
The ITF’s call for UN-led diplomacy also resonates with Nigeria’s long-standing posture as a proponent of multilateralism in maritime governance — a position the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy would do well to echo in appropriate international forums.
Waterways News | Lagos
Dockworkers Threaten Nationwide Port Shutdown Over Stalled NJIC Wage Talks
Give Terminal Operators Until Week’s End to Open Wage Talks
By Emetena Ikuku | Waterways News | Lagos
Dockworkers could shut down Nigeria’s ports next week unless terminal operators begin long-delayed negotiations on a new wage agreement. The warning comes from the Dockworkers Branch of the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN).
Speaking in Lagos on Wednesday, the branch President, Comrade Bolaji Agboola, said members were increasingly angry and frustrated. He accused operators of terminals and jetties covered by the National Joint Industrial Council (NJIC) agreement of stalling talks on a review of workers’ rates.
The previous agreement expired at the end of May 2026, with new rates due to take effect from June 1, according to Agboola. He argued that dockworkers should already be earning revised rates. He said the branch’s Executive Council could no longer contain the agitation.
He urged the Federal Government to intervene through the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). He wants operators at the table before the close of work this week. Otherwise, he warned, port operations may be disrupted next week.
Agboola said the leadership had kept engaging members to manage the situation, but patience was wearing thin.
Waterways News could not immediately reach terminal operators for comment.
NIGERIA WATCH
Why it matters. A shutdown at the ports would quickly reach importers, exporters, freight forwarders and the barge and jetty operators who feed cargo to and from the terminals. Any stoppage would also hit Nigeria’s push for faster cargo clearance.
Background. NIMASA convenes the NJIC. It is a tripartite arrangement for Collective Bargaining Agreements on minimum standards for the dock labour industry. Wage reviews have run on a roughly two-year cycle, and past rounds have also dragged. In 2021, union officials complained that talks were dragging even after proposals were tabled. In October 2023, MWUN threatened to resume a suspended strike after talks with shipping employers collapsed.
What to watch.
NIMASA’s move: Whether it convenes the parties before the end of the week.
Jetty coverage: Agboola’s complaint includes jetty operators under the NJIC. Jetties are already a flashpoint between dockworkers and operators.
Inland impact: Any slowdown at the terminals will affect the waterway operators and boat transporters who move goods and people around the Lagos ports.
Maritime Labour and Trade Union
Mental Health at Sea: Nigeria Leads Africa as NIMASA, ITF Seal Africa’s First Seafarer Mental Health Pact
Mental Health at Sea: Nigeria Leads Africa as NIMASA, ITF Seal Africa’s First Seafarer Mental Health Pact
Agency and global transport union to embed wellbeing training in maritime curricula
By Okeoghene Onoriobe | Waterways News
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) to promote the mental health and wellbeing of Nigerian seafarers and cadets through training, awareness and capacity building.
The agreement was endorsed at the close of a three-day Seafarers’ and Cadets’ Wellbeing Awareness and Train-the-Trainers Programme, themed “Stress: Understanding, Early Management and Coping.” NIMASA organised the programme with the ITF.
NIMASA Director General Dr. Dayo Mobereola said the partnership will support capacity building and the integration of a wellbeing module into maritime training curricula. The goal is to make wellbeing a permanent part of preparing for life at sea. He was represented by the Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, Mr. Jibril Abba, who signed for NIMASA.
In the DG’s words, seafarers’ wellbeing is “essential to safe shipping.” He said the programme will equip training institutions, agency officers and union partners to identify and manage stress and provide psychological first aid. He cited a 2019 ITF/Yale University study in which one in four seafarers surveyed showed signs of depression and about one in six showed signs of anxiety.
ITF Africa Regional Secretary Mr. Safiyanu Dauda Mohammed, who signed for the federation, said it is the first such agreement the ITF has entered into with any African country. “We are starting with Nigeria,” he said.
The President-General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade Francis Bunu, welcomed the deal. He said seafarers need to be mentally sound to do their jobs, and called it a significant day for Nigerian seafarers.
Also present were the National President of the Nigerian Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association, Chief Engr. Bob Joseph Yousou; ITF Wellbeing Coordinator Dr. Asif Altaf; and ITF Inspector Mr. Hamani Amadou.
The programme underscores the need to refocus attention on seafarers who work in difficult conditions and spend long periods away from their families. Both parties say the partnership reflects the principle that a healthy seafarer is a safe seafarer.
NIGERIA WATCH
A first for Africa, but delivery is the test. Nigeria’s lead position is a diplomatic win for NIMASA and the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
Seafarer welfare has been on NIMASA’s agenda for years. In 2018, then-DG Dakuku Peterside threatened sanctions on ship owners who defaulted on the seafarers’ contributory pension scheme. In early 2024, the ITF’s UK-based Seafarers Trust approved a grant for a seafarers’ recreation centre, to be built with MWUN and NIMASA. Stakeholders will want to know what became of those commitments before this one is celebrated.
What to watch out for:
Curriculum integration: Whether the wellbeing module actually enters the syllabi of Nigerian maritime institutions, and by when.
Funding and timelines: The announcement gives no budget, rollout schedule or reporting mechanism.
The Reach: The MoU speaks of seafarers and cadets. Many Nigerians who work on the water are informal inland operators, such as boat drivers and boat owners represented by groups like WABOTAN and ATBOWATON. They face stress, long hours and safety risks of their own. Whether wellbeing programmes will extend to this segment, or stop at the formal deep-sea workforce, is a fair question for NIMASA, NIWA and the ministry.
Mental health support is only as credible as its follow-through, and this MoU will be judged by what happens after the signing.
Maritime Labour and Trade Union
From Ship’s Deck to Union’s Helm: Bunu Honoured with MARCON Labour Leader Award
From Ship’s Deck to Union’s Helm: Bunu Honoured with MARCON Labour Leader Award
Named MARCON Labour Leader of the Year for Seafarer-to-President-General Rise
By Emetena Ikuku | Waterways News | Lagos
The President-General of the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade Francis Bunu Abi, has been named Labour Leader of the Year by the Maritime Correspondents’ Organisation of Nigeria (MARCON). The award recognises his leadership, his push for workers’ welfare and his role in keeping industrial peace in the maritime sector.
MARCON said the honour reflects Bunu’s sustained advocacy for maritime workers’ rights, his commitment to collective bargaining and better conditions of service, and his efforts to promote safety and constructive engagement among organised labour, employers and government agencies.
The award was presented at the 2026 MARCON National Conference on Sustainable Fishing on Wednesday, September 30, at Rockview Hotel, Apapa, Lagos. Bunu was not physically present to receive it. The plaque was presented by the Secretary-General of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Godfrey Nwosu, to MWUN Vice President-General, Comrade Matina Njoku, and Comrade Kenneth Ibanga, the union’s Deputy Secretary-General for Protocol and International Relations, who accepted on his behalf.
A career built at sea
Bunu is a seafarer by training. He worked aboard vessels, locally and internationally, before moving into union leadership.
His climb through MWUN spans more than two decades. It began as an ex-officio member of the Port Harcourt Seafarers Unit, and he became chairman of the unit in 2001. He was elected Rivers State District Chairman in 2005 and returned unopposed for a second term in 2009. In 2013 he became President of the Seamen/Seafarers Branch and served a second term there as well.
He was elected Deputy President-General of MWUN in 2021. In 2024, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) appointed him Dockworkers Regional Chairman.
On March 28, 2025, Bunu emerged unopposed as President-General at the union’s 6th Quadrennial National Delegates Conference in Lagos, succeeding Comrade Adewale Adeyanju. He is the first member of the Seafarers Branch to rise to the union’s top office.
Agenda under his leadership
Under Bunu, MWUN has stayed focused on workers’ welfare, collective bargaining, safety awareness and accident compensation. It has also kept up engagement with key agencies, including the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
Bunu holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Rivers State University. He has also had international training in collective bargaining, employee rights, management, communication, performance enhancement and leadership.
Chairman of the MARCON Conference Planning Committee, Paul Ogbuokiri, said the award recognises Bunu’s long service to organised maritime labour and his steady progression through the union’s ranks. He said Bunu’s path shows the value of hands-on industry experience in representing workers and encouraging constructive engagement in the sector.
The conference, themed “Sustainable Fishing in Nigeria: Pathways to Growth, Food Security and Coastal Livelihoods,” brought together policymakers, regulators, industry operators, researchers and other stakeholders to discuss how to develop Nigeria’s fisheries sector sustainably.
Nigeria Watch
Bunu’s recognition is a reminder of who keeps Nigeria’s maritime economy running. Workers are the human backbone of shipping and port operations, yet their welfare and safety rarely get the attention that policy announcements, concession deals and investment pledges do.
His background deserves note. A union president who has worked as a seafarer is better placed to speak credibly on wages, safety and compensation. The test of that leadership is whether agreements reached with NIMASA, the NPA and employers translate into real protections on vessels and on the quayside.
The award also comes at a conference on fishing and coastal livelihoods. Many of the people in that value chain, from artisanal fishers to small-scale boat operators on creeks and inland waterways, work outside formal collective bargaining. For them, the gap between what policy promises and what is delivered is widest.
Waterways News will keep asking whether the welfare and safety gains won by organised labour reach informal operators who are also part of the union through the Commercial and Private Boats District.
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