China hands nine shipmanagers crew change bans due to Covid-19 cases

by The Editorial Team

July 27, 2021

China has handed crew change bans to nine shipmanagers, due to several instances of crew arriving in the country with Covid-19 infections.

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The bans last up to one month, while the 76 infections reported on July 26, are the most since January and include 40 domestic transmissions.

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China is now taking a harsh stance towards crew changes, with the ‘All India Seafarer & General Workers Union’ issueing a written letter to the Indian government claiming that China is banning Indian seafarers.

The union also claims that the ban prevents Indian nationals from entering Chinese ports, causing 21,000 Indian sailors to face potential job losses.

Moreover, Indonesia opened crew changes for everyone except Indian and South Africans.

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This is not the first time China has banned Indian seafarers, as during 2021 18 Indian crew of the MSC ship Anastasia were stranded off China.