 Official Taiwanese sources put the number of foreign workers aboard Taiwanese vessels at 26,000 but NGOs and US government agencies put the figure around 160,000.Foreign fishermen frequently report non-payment, long work hours, and verbal and physical abuse at the hands of their captains and officers, who are often Taiwanese.In 2017 eight foreign crew members were murdered by their officers aboard the Taiwan-flagged fishing vessel "Wen Peng" approximately 900 nautical miles off the south coast of Sri Lanka.