> And if they want to keep their jobs they have to comply.

Worse still, many mariners are effectively prisoners and can become trapped if corporate decides to cut them loose without also providing passage off the vessel

Stranded sailor allowed to leave abandoned ship after four years https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-56842506

Stuck at sea for years, a sailor’s plight highlights a surge in shipowner abandonment https://apnews.com/article/abandoned-seafarers-labor-unpaid-...

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phildenhoff 9 hours ago | parent [-]

What would have happened, in that first story, if he had left the ship and swam to a passing boat? Or swam to shore? He was apparently able to leave as later in his imprisonment, the boat drift closer to shore and he swam from there. Why not just leave?

	▲	nradov 9 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Abandoned crew members often remain on the ship in the hope of eventually getting paid their overdue wages after the legal issues are sorted out. If they leave the vessel then that weakens their negotiating position.