The Anastasia crew has been on board for 18 months
NEW DELHI: For 13 months, he had been patient while his time on the ship kept getting extended. First, when the Covid-19 outbreak began and, then, when China would not let his ship into the Caofeidian port. But when his wife and two sons tested positive for Covid-19, the 47-year-old on the crew of MV Anastasia knew he had to get out. He made a case, relentlessly, before his captain, his company. After a month of futile attempts, he tried to slash his wrist.
“He was saved just in time,” navigation officer Gaurav Singh, 29, told TOI. “We are all losing our minds here.” For 146 days, their cargo ship has been stranded in Chinese waters. Another carrier, MV Jag Anand, has been stuck off Jingtang port since June with 23 Indian sailors on board — 199 days.