COVID-19 and Seafarer's Crew Change

[ombugge]

I know that only a minuscule part of the 1.6 Mill. seafarers in the world are Americans and most of those serve on ships that doesn’t carry commercial cargo in overseas trade.

But maybe fellow seafarers on this forum have some compassion for those who are either stranded on board ships, or refused entry to many countries so they can get to their ships to relieve their colleagues:

With Sailors Stranded, Shipping Faces a Hard Choice

So long as most international air routes are suspended, it won’t be easy to switch out and repatriate seafarers. Nonetheless, governments could ease the pressure and ensure the continued flow of goods by recognizing that seafarers are “essential” or “key” personnel, akin to medical professionals or truckers, and allow them to transit through their territories to reach airports, ferry launches and other transport nodes. Meanwhile, countries with large numbers of seafarers should coordinate with shipping companies to arrange for designated ports where crew changes could be overseen, quarantines can be established and charters arranged.
It’s true that this will inevitably increase costs. But shippers — and governments — should be willing to pay up. Without seafarers and their cargoes, the world economy is sunk.

PS> I don’t know if hospitality crew on cruise ships are included in the 1.6 Mill. but there is a lot of those that is in limbo around the world. Many have been exposed to the virus while caring for sick Pax, while the ship has been sailing from port to port looking for help.