An abandoned cargo ship has remained stranded off the coast of Mumbai for nearly three years, with no progress made on its disposal.

The vessel involved is the SENCER 1, a 2,800 dwt general cargo ship registered in Tanzania, previously named Wen Shan. It arrived in Mumbai in July 2023, originally scheduled to load a consignment of transformers and accessories for shipment to Romania. Following its arrival, a Port State Control inspection uncovered as many as 40 deficiencies, including issues with its radar, radio, echo sounder, and oil filtering equipment. The vessel was declared unseaworthy and duly detained.

In August 2023, the Bombay High Court ordered the vessel's arrest at the request of the charterer. This case was eventually resolved through an out-of-court settlement, and the arrest and auction orders were subsequently lifted. However, in October 2024, the vessel was again arrested by the court over a separate claim for unpaid fees and placed under the custody of the Mumbai Sheriff. Subsequently, the Turkish shipowner abandoned the vessel.

In October 2024, the vessel was manned by nine Indonesian crew members. They were initially informed that the ship would set sail for Turkey within a month. Instead, the crew found themselves stranded and went unpaid for five months, with supplies of food, diesel, and fresh water on board severely limited. The Indonesian Consulate General in Mumbai raised this humanitarian crisis with India's Directorate General of Shipping. Through the coordination of the National Union of Seafarers of India and the International Transport Workers' Federation, the union arranged food supplies for the crew and eventually secured replacement crew members.

In June 2025, the Directorate General of Shipping petitioned the Bombay High Court to auction the vessel and agreed to arrange for a watch-keeping crew. The watch-keeping personnel were initially told their assignment would last only four weeks, but they ended up trapped on board in rotating shifts for ten months. Two persons were required to be on duty simultaneously at all times, while the vessel lacked any electrical power supply.

The watch-keeping crew filed complaints, stating: "The vessel is in extremely poor condition, the enforced idleness is causing severe depression, we are forced to sleep on the hatch covers, and sanitation facilities are grossly inadequate. Although food and fresh water are supplied, the quality is poor; garbage is piling up and the stench is unbearable." Fortunately, the vessel's proximity to shore allowed them to access the internet, which helped them maintain contact with the outside world and pass the time.

On June 25, 2025, the Bombay High Court first ordered the Sheriff's office to auction the vessel. Two auctions held on July 14 and October 10 both failed. Earlier this month, the Directorate General of Shipping submitted a report to the court, urging it to initiate a third auction process.

After the Indonesian crew were repatriated in July 2025, the National Union of Seafarers of India assumed responsibility for ensuring the vessel remained manned. The union contracted an agency for a one-year watch-keeping assignment, deploying five crew members on a rotating basis. Two persons were to be on board simultaneously at all times, with at least one required to remain on the vessel at any given moment to ensure its security and prevent unauthorised boarding. In May 2026, the union informed the court that it would replace the manning agency but that the watch-keeping requirements would remain unchanged.

The International Labour Organization's database of abandoned vessels also records the abandonment of this vessel, showing its registration details and the sign-off dates of the crew.

The court had previously asked the Directorate General of Shipping whether it could provide a list of potential buyers who might participate in a vessel auction. The Directorate responded that it does not maintain a database of previous participants in such auctions and therefore cannot offer any such suggestions—meaning the search for a buyer for the third auction remains fraught with uncertainty.