The coronavirus outbreak has sent the shipping industry into a tizzy. To contain the spread of the deadly pandemic, the Indian government, sometime in mid-March, prevented more than 25,000 crew and passengers on board over 700 ships from disembarking on Indian shores. It also prohibited the entry of any international cruise ship or crew with a travel history to coronavirus-hit countries post February 1, 2020 to its major ports until March 31.

The shipping industry rides on cargo movement across the globe. The unprecedented shutdown has hit the sector hard. Initially, cargo was not moving out of China, which led to a pile-up of demand for cargo from Indian exporters. Sadly, now when China is showing signs of revival, Indian ports are facing a lockdown. The bottom line is loading of cargo continues to be a problem. Diminished trade as a result of the coronavirus outbreak is costing container shipping lines $350 million a week in lost volumes

The situation in India is better than in large parts of Europe and the United States, where the virus has spread aggressively. The Western nations will take time to spring back to normal.

But the coronavirus outbreak has hit the shipping industry in India hard, just as it has caught many sectors completely unaware. The world does not realize the importance of ships even though we are responsible for 90 per cent of the approximately 20 trillion trade worldwide. Most of the Indians (especially in the North) don’t even know what merchant navy is and what exactly do we do. In fact, I had a neighbour telling me that ships are made of wood because iron doesn’t float! Instead of telling her about Archimedes, I said: “Yes aunty, I am wrong.”

Now here’s the irony. Most countries have sealed their borders in order to contain the spread of the deadly virus. But it’s the shipping industry and the seafarers that are going to play a crucial role in delivering vital goods, including medical supplies, around the world and these goods are going to be instrumental in beating this microscopic virus.

Let’s not forget about hundreds of thousands of seafarers who were still sailing when the pandemic broke and the lockdowns were imposed. They are, unwittingly, on the front line of this global calamity. They hung on as they are professionals. They will ensure that the goods that we all need are delivered to us with utmost safety and without causing much damage to our precious environment. These are the people who stay away from homes and families for months. Let’s not forget that their health and their wellbeing as important as anyone else’s.

I have friends who are sailing or are stuck. I am receiving messages from them on a daily basis. They all tell me that I am lucky that I am home. But I can imagine the plight of my colleagues who are on board. Even though they are reporting that life is normal as it should be; but, trust me, life on board a ship akin to mother of all quarantines! As a I write this, I read reports that an estimated 150,000 crew members with expired work contracts have been forced into continued labour aboard commercial ships worldwide to meet the demands of governments that have closed their borders and yet still want fuel, food and supplies.

Most of the unions, shipping companies and the governments across the world have ensured that our sector falls into the ‘essential services ‘category. The Indian government has done this too, and our ports are open with a crew change for Indians, but it does not solve the problem. Many Indians are a part of the crew on merchant ships. At any given point in time, we have five to six nationalities on board a ship except for cruises which could have as many as 20 nationalities on board.

In the current scenario, Indian manned ships may never come to India or Philipino ships may never go to Philippines. The world has to take cognizance of the fact that the shipping industry is bleeding and should make special arrangements for us to travel. The crew on board will take up the job at hand with a smile on their faces for the next two-three months, but if crews opt for an organized work stoppage effectively, thus stopping the world trade, trust me, the world is not prepared for what shall follow in that case.

Gaurav Adlakha is based in Delhi and is a chief engineer in merchant navy.