With each passing day relatives of the sailors stuck in their ships on Chinese waters are growing more anxious. Most of the stranded seafarers were supposed to be back with their families early last year. But a whole year has passed, during which the pandemic broke out and first vaccines to fight it were also administered, and these sailors have yet to return home.
Jimmy Tandel's father was supposed to be with his family in April last year. Gajanand Tandel started work on the ship 'Anastasia' in July 2019 as an able seaman. "But it has been 18 months now on the ship and we still don't know when he will be back," says Jimmy. She says that with the few conversations that she has with her father when the sailors on the ship get access to the internet, she can tell that the crew is physically and mentally exhausted.