A ship named "MV Latifa" changed its owner in January this year - it became a Panamanian company and flew the flag of Tanzania.

Not long after, on the way from Colombia to Uruguay, the ship encountered a problem: the propulsion system and power were completely down, leaving it completely stranded at sea. On March 29th, the captain sent out a distress signal.

The Brazilian Navy responded swiftly and dispatched the patrol vessel "Bocaina" to the scene. Upon boarding, the situation was even worse than imagined: food was running out, water was almost depleted, and the eight crew members were hungry and weak. The cabin was stuffy, without electricity, and infested with insects, making it impossible to maintain basic hygiene.

As a result, the shipowner could not be reached and did not take any responsibility. The Brazilian side forcibly towed the vessel on April 11th, and it safely docked at the Santana Port in Amapá State four days later.

Afterwards, the Labor Procuratorate, the Ministry of Labor, and the Federal Police boarded the ship together to conduct an inspection and confirmed that these crew members had experienced inhuman treatment. Due to the aforementioned acts, the shipowner was formally charged with the crime of "abandonment" and had to pay the unpaid wages and the expenses for sending the crew members home.

Changing the registration and the national flag does not mean that responsibility can be "swapped out". Crew members are not tools, and such practices should be regulated.