Sea Sunday: Response of seafarers to pandemic in India vaticannews.va - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from vaticannews.va Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Lydia O’Kane
There are currently 400,000 seafarers at sea not knowing when they will be able to return home to their families.
They remain on board their vessels, despite the fact that their contracts have expired, in many cases months ago.
This present situation, which is being exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has been described by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) as a humanitarian crisis at sea.
The Chief Executive of Catholic charity Stella Maris UK (formerly the Apostleship of the Sea) Martin Foley says this is an apt description of the current plight of seafarers.
“I was in touch with a seafarer today, actually from Samoa, who’s been on board since May 2019, almost 2 years on board and desperate to get home.”