Port restrictions and canceled flights are straining the ability for shipping firms to replace seafarers, further weakening global supply chains already snarled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hubs like Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Shanghai have halted most crew transfers, while global lockdowns have complicated travel from the Philippines, which supplies about a quarter of the world’s seafarers.
At risk is the flow of goods like food, medicine and energy via commercial shipping, which accounts for about 80 percent of global trade. While unseen by most consumers, restrictions on crews are among the unprecedented challenges wrought by the virus, which has already ground major economies to a halt.