Many Seafarers Are Stranded Aboard Ships Because Of The Coronavirus

Many Seafarers Are Stranded Aboard Ships Because Of The Coronavirus
Jackie Northam January 28, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has trapped hundreds of thousands of seafarers aboard cargo ships, unable to get off or switch crews due to fears of spreading the infection.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Here's something you might not know - at any given time, there are more than 1.4 million seafarers traveling the world's waterways. These are the people working on oil tankers and cargo ships. Now, many of them are stranded. NPR's Jackie Northam explains.

JACKIE NORTHAM, BYLINE: The coronavirus pandemic may be ravaging the U.S., but it hasn't slowed the action here at the Port of Baltimore. Massive ships bob in the murky waters, waiting to load or unload. In one corner of this expansive port, Reverend Mary Davisson pulls alongside a towering ship carrying cars and trucks.

MARY DAVISSON: So this is called the stern ramp. This is where we'll be boarding.

more...https://www.npr.org/2021/01/28/961470026/many-seafarers-are-stranded-abo...