At least 100,000 shipowners still stranded at sea: report

More than two months after the Corona virus shut down the industry, at least 100,000 cruise ship workers have been stranded at sea – many without pay, according to a report Sunday.

Following a series of epidemics on cruise ships, the shipyard first stopped operations on March 13, with most passengers able to get to dry land in early April.

But just two months after the closure, more than 100,000 employees are stranded on ships and are still traveling the seas, waiting for permission to return to their homeland Miami Herald Investigation.

Many are not paid because they are no longer officially employed and the US labor laws do not apply to companies and vessels registered abroad. Most people do not know that governments will eventually be allowed to dock and then bring it home.

There are still dangers, with 578 crew members on various vessels suffering from COVID-19 at sea – at least seven people have died, the Herald reported.

These conditions have disappointed many, and at least two crew members of different ships have jumped into apparent suicide. Others are engaged in fasting.

“Here I am in a prison,” Gun Sungralingam, 38, a crew member who was caught on the ski princess of Carnival Corp., told Paper.

Most shipping companies blame government rules and regulations for docking and completely dying during an infection.

“Our goal is to return our team members quickly, but it has proven to be very difficult in recent weeks due to port closures, country closures and global travel restrictions,” Carnival Corp. spokesman Roger Frizzell told the Herald.

As a result, there are numerous problems and challenges.

He emphasized that the “health and well-being” of Disney Cruise Line team members is a top priority. “We are working tirelessly to get them back,” spokeswoman Kim Brundy told the Herald.

“With the ever-changing needs and abundant boundaries of the world still closed, this has proven to be a very complicated process.”

Meanwhile, MSC Cruise says 95 per cent of the crew left at sea still live in countries where the borders are still closed.

“We have been in constant contact with the governments in these countries on behalf of our countries and on some sensible occasions have been able to persuade them to allow us to return,” spokeswoman Luca Biondolillo said in the study.

Either way, the delay will always damage the industry, experts warn.

Shipping companies must “show the ability to take people off the ship in an emergency,” said Rockford Waits, director of the Fletcher School’s Marine Research Program at Tufts University. .

“They can convince their customers, they can find solutions and work creatively with public health officials. At this time in May, it’s time for excuses… there’s no reason not to find a way home,” he said.