An Easter greeting with a photo of a Santa snowman on the deck of a ship on the Arctic Ocean landed recently on the WhatsApp number of the family of a merchant navy engineer in the city.
The electronics engineer is among the thousands of seafarers of different nationalities stuck on the high seas and unable to return home due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
As COVID-19 laws have gotten tighter across the globe in recent weeks, thousands of seafarers are stuck on their vessels with no idea when they will reunite with their family.
“We are virtually like castaways with no clear idea of when it will be possible to return home,” said Upendra (name changed on request), who has not set foot on land for well over a month. And because of the COVID-19 situation, there were hassles dropping cargo at Rafnes, Norway and Skagen, Denmark, he said.
He had left the city on March 4 and flew out from Chennai to Houston via Doha where he joined the LNG container ship. The loading port was in the US and the discharging ports included Norway, Denmark and Scotland. “I should have been home with my wife and one-and-a-half-year-old son in normal course. But, now I am lucky if I am even able to speak to them on phone,” said Upendra. “For three weeks, I survived on bread, peanut butter and cornflakes, as I don't eat pork or beef,” he said.
Among the 18 crew are Russians, Chinese, Sri Lankan, Romanian and Ukranian besides two other Indian seafarers.
Flooded with calls
According to the Indian chapter of the International Seafarers Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN), UK, the number of seafarers stranded in the seas in the lockdown could be between 30,000 and 40,000. Many have had their contracts extended as they are unable to sign off. “Our 24/7 helpline is flooded with calls from seafarers reporting high stress levels and anxiety about their loved ones,” said Chirag Bahri, Director of Regions, ISWAN, Noida.
Many face uncertainty over when they would be able to sign off. Given the nature of trans-national navigation associated with the occupation, it is best for seafarers to stay put on the ship and to follow guidelines of respective countries until restrictions ease along a swathe of regions for a viable route home to materialise, he said.
ISWAN has submitted a memorandum to the Shipping Ministry highlighting the need for ensuring a safe corridor for seafarers to return home once the lockdown lifts and also to provide financial assistance to seafarers who have been stuck at home in this period.
“In an extended lockdown, stay-at-home sailors would have no income and would have to subsist on their savings,” Mr. Bahri said.
