A new worldwide wave of COVID-19. Natural disasters in China and Germany. A cyberattack targeting key South African ports.
Events have conspired to drive global supply chains toward a breaking point, threatening the fragile flow of raw materials, parts and consumer goods, according to companies, economists and shipping specialists.
The delta variant of the coronavirus has devastated parts of Asia and prompted many nations to cut off land access for sailors. That's left captains unable to rotate weary crews and about 100,000 seafarers stranded at sea beyond their stints in a flashback to 2020 and the height of lockdowns.