The Ship’s Captain Died at Sea. Six Months Later, His Body Was Still in the Freezer

The Ship’s Captain Died at Sea. Six Months Later, His Body Was Still in the Freezer
Drew Hinshaw, Vipal Monga and Joe Parkinson Nov. 19, 2021 https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-ships-captain-died-at-sea-six-months-la...

BUCHAREST—After 40 years at sea, on his last voyage before retirement, Captain Dan Sandu slipped into his cabin on the MV Vantage Wave, a cargo ship sailing away from India, feeling unwell. “Don’t worry,” he typed in what would be a final email to his wife in April. “Everything will be fine.”

Last month, the ship, by then floating off the United Arab Emirates, sent what had become a familiar plea. Captain Sandu was dead and his body was in the ship’s walk-in freezer. For six months, it had traveled thousands of miles lying near the crew’s meat and vegetables. They needed to get him back to Romania.