The seafarers stranded on the high seas
The Documentary Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 2.7K Ratings
🗓️ 11 June 2020
⏱️ 26 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
There are currently 200,000 seafarers stuck working on vessels across the globe and unable to be relieved of their duties. These are the men and women responsible for transporting 90% of the world's trade, from the food we eat to the clothes we wear. While goods are still flowing, the people transporting these goods are struggling.
Every month, 100,000 seafarers leave their ships and are replaced by others. But due to covid-19, most of these crew changes have been cancelled for several months. Seafarers are in effect prisoners unable to leave the ship.
Maritime unions and ships owners are warning that covid-19 restrictions could lead to a “humanitarian crisis” as seafarers’ mental health and performance worsen in the face of increasing fatigue – in a profession, which already had a high prevalence of accidents, depression and suicide pre-pandemic.
What will it take to bring seafarers home? Assignment hears from the men and women stuck on board and those trying to help them; offering a unique insight into the often-forgotten human story of the global sea trade.
Presented and produced by Estelle Doyle
(Image: Seafarer looking out to sea. Credit: Artem Radchenko)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I am Bijoy Kahnan, master, captain of merchant ships. Initially we heard about the pandemic |
| 0:09.3 | in January but we weren't too bothered honestly speaking because we were just apprehensive |
| 0:14.6 | that we shouldn't be calling China around that time. But then country after country went |
| 0:21.9 | into lockdown. So that was the time that we realized no country is basically allowing |
| 0:27.6 | us to get off. Then he started getting very stressful around that time. |
| 0:34.9 | Captain Kahnan quickly realized that his crew was struggling. |
| 0:38.6 | The fact that there was no certainty when we will get off would mean that we started |
| 0:44.1 | fearing the worst. I could see some of my crew members spending the nights and not able |
| 0:50.5 | to sleep. I myself was disturbed and concentrating on work was difficult. Maybe used to go into |
| 0:58.2 | a shelf. Some of them were even, they were even thinking of physical harm or two people |
| 1:04.0 | were even thinking that what's the point of living this way. It got to that extreme. |
| 1:09.5 | The situation left Captain Kahnan having to face a difficult decision. You'll hear more |
| 1:14.5 | on that later. His story is the story of the thousands of seafarers |
| 1:21.3 | stranded at sea because of COVID-19. Maritime organizations estimate that there are |
| 1:27.0 | up to 200,000 men and women who are tired, mentally stretched, currently stuck, working |
| 1:33.4 | on vessels across the globe, unable to be relieved of their duties. They're calling |
| 1:38.4 | on the United Nations to ask governments to intervene. If they don't they say they |
| 1:42.7 | risk a humanitarian disaster. That would be a problem for all of us. After all, seafarers |
| 1:49.4 | are the ones transporting 90% of all goods, our medicine, our clothes, our food. This |
| 1:56.7 | is a sign on the BBC World Service and our Mestell Doyle. For this programme I've spoken |
| 2:01.4 | with a dozen seafarers around the world. You won't hear them all, but you will hear |
| 2:05.9 | their common battle to be allowed home, while they carry on working 24-7 on what many |
... |
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