Trapped by pandemic, ships’ crews fight exhaustion and despair

BANGKOK - Ralph Santillan, a merchant seaman from the Philippines, hasn’t had shore leave in half a year. It has been 18 months since he reported for duty on his ship, which hauls corn, barley and other commodities around the world. It has been even longer since he saw his wife and son.

In June, the United Nations called the situation a “growing humanitarian and safety crisis.” And there is still no solution in sight. “Owners made their contract so short for a reason,” said Joost Mes, director of Avior Marine, a maritime recruitment agency in Manila, Philippines. “The consequences are coming closer, and the margins of safety are getting less.”

The cause of the accident has not been determined, but the seafarers’ union said it pointed to the potential consequences of having an overworked crew. Two of the ships’ officers have been charged with unsafe navigation. Even in normal times, replacing a crew member involves complex logistics, said Frederick Kenney, director of legal and external affairs at the International Maritime Organization, a UN agency that oversees global shipping.

Hong Kong exempted sea as well as airline crews from a 14-day quarantine requirement, but it changed those rules in July, after the exemptions were blamed for a surge in case numbers. In Singapore, too, protocols were tightened after seafarers tested positive for the virus on arrival. The departure of the Ben Rinnes, chartered to haul soy for Cargill from Geelong, Australia, was delayed last month after 5 seafarers demanded to be sent home. At least one had been working for 17 months. Cargill said that as a charterer, it did not manage crew changes, but that it had been involved in discussions that led to the crew members’ departure. In a statement, it said it joined the union’s call for “immediate government action to ensure seafarers can be repatriated.

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