India’s huge new wave of Covid-19 infections has hit the international shipping industry, which relies on the country for seafarers, as crews come down with the disease and ports deny entry to vessels.
Ports including Singapore and Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates have barred ships from changing crew members who have recently travelled from India, notices from maritime authorities show. Zhoushan in China has banned entry for any ships or crew that have visited India or Bangladesh within the past three months, according to Wilhelmsen Ship Management, a big provider of sea crews.
Industry executives also say crews coming from India are testing positive for Covid-19 on ships, despite quarantining and testing negative before boarding.