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Feels like a prison: sailors trapped on board due to Covid-19
Chris Moisés Cañaveral, third officer aboard a 22,000-ton tanker, has not touched land in 10 months. Expect to be still at sea for Christmas and New Years.
He said he’s used to it. He set foot on a merchant ship 10 years ago, when he was 26. Since then, he has been home to celebrate Christmas with his family only four times. “It’s tough, but we are sailors. We are used to isolation and loneliness,” he said.
Still, this is the longest he’s been out, and it already feels like he’s “in jail, with a bunch of really grumpy men.”
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Indonesian seafarers haven’t been home for two and a half years
Amar Tukaram Shinde, 24, felt like a bird that came out of a cage when he set foot on land after being at sea for 19 months.
He boarded a cargo ship in Singapore in April last year to fulfill an 11-month contract, but after it expired, he was unable to leave due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Together with his four Indian and 16 Vietnamese crewmates, he signed in Ho Chi Minh City yesterday.
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Crew change in Singapore down to 75%, with international cooperation at the forefront of efforts
Singapore has managed to normalize crew changes amid the pandemic, even as many countries continue to restrict ship crew rotation in their ports.
It is also working with international organizations to accelerate the adoption of safe crew change practices overseas, said the Singapore Maritime and Port Authority (MPA).
There have been more than 54,000 crew changes here since March 27, when Singapore put in place strict national measures such as closing bars and cinemas.
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