I can't believe that not only are the crew of this ship still confined to the ship *because they don't have visas* but they've also had their phones confiscated so they can't be in touch with family
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Ye, this is horrifyingly not atypical or the worst of it. This 99% Invisible podcast really gets into it, someone has to take care of ships but they should get paid and be able to go home.
They’re already away from their families and land so much because of the lack of short-term visas for these crews (which was not the case in the past), so I already feel for them, but this is intolerable. :(
I am not surprised the Ship was illegal to start with the company used it knowing it had mechanical failure because the company did not want to spend the money and people are dead because of that ship
They're needed to operate the ship and keep it safe, and once the situation is stabilized they'll be given shore passes. It absolutely sucks to be them, but volunteers are helping them out, getting them phones, and so on. This is how international shipping works.
Yeah there's a *lot* of bullshit in international shipping, it's a super shitty and exploitative industry. But there's no reasonable circumstances where this crew would be off the ship already for anything other than a medical emergency.
Potentially once the situation is stable and the preliminary investigation is sorted out, yes, they could send in a caretaker crew. But what would be the difference? That's just a different set of people on the ship.
If this were some fly-by-night shipping company with a flag of convenience then this crew would be screwed, and people in that situation are the ones that need our concern and outrage. There are people who have been stranded for years, which is unacceptable.
In this *particular case* they're not stuck on the ship because of global capitalism. If the ship sinks it'd create a significant public burden, and accident investigations would (I certainly hope) exist even in some communist utopia.
The company is discussed in the article. They're the ones arranging the catered Indian food, the replacement phones, and getting ready for the shore passes once it's safe to issue them. It's not a huge amount of detail but it seems like they're on top of the situation?
The company also gave them new phones, but some stuff must not have been in cloud backups. Looks like this story is being pushed by their unions & advocacy groups to get the FBI to return their electronics.
i believe the fbi thought it was a possible terror attack at first and it makes sense for the investigation but they are notorious for not returning things in a timely fashion when they're proven wrong
The fact that they are in US waters is precisely why they can't disembark.
It is not unusual for people to be in transit in the US but unable to leave a ship, airport, etc., due to lack of visa or other requirement for admission.
are you arguing or agreeing bc the post you responded to said "this is another example of shitty us policies" and you keep seeming to be trying to minimize that, but everything you're actually saying is that it's even worse than just that and people should be even madder about this
It is just the way the world works with respect to people who are in transit with no intention to enter the country that they somehow find themselves stuck in.
I'm not minimizing it, but if someone's surprised by it, it's because of ignorance, not because it's something new and different.
(I am horrified by all the abuses of international shipping but the fact of this ship being in the US is indeed relevant here because, while I can't really affect international shipping policy, I *can* engage with my congresspeople and US policymakers to address this specific situation)
I left a message asking them to look into the situation and see if there is any assistance they can offer this particular crew and, more broadly, consider why international airline crews have access to visas that shipping crews don't, given the inequities of international shipping.
This is mostly on the operator of the ship. They should have hired someone to work with the FBI to copy personal info to new phones, so the crew didn't lose anything.
I suspect if more people knew this was a "risk" of doing this kind of job, they'd pick another job. But it's not a big enough problem *for the industry* to figure it out.
I don't understand the phone situation. The FBI can clone a phone's content in minutes, so why not return them after? There's no need to hold a physical device if you've got all the data from it.
what also doesn't help is that there are international agreements which would help the situation but many ship owners / cargo companies intentionally register their ships in places or use ports in countries who haven't signed up to these.
They needed to be on the boat for some things - like the demolition atop their ship - but yes, they really should be allowed to be on land or at least rotate off when it's not needed.
They're going to get shore passes once the situation is stable! Right now they need the whole crew. They're getting catered food from shore and volunteers are helping get them phones and stuff. It sucks but it's not unreasonable.
Someone has to be running the ship. That someone would be the crew. You can't just leave it there unoccupied, and it's not the job of random Coast Guard and harbor people to maintain someone else's ship.
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That’s all I have.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/19/ever-given-crew-fear-joining-ranks-of-seafarers-stranded-on-ships-for-years
https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/abandoned-ships/
https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/great-bitter-lake-association/
The company is at least providing catering etc.
But Singapore is a legit flag.
Crews regularly get stuck on ships for unexpected weeks or months. It's a bummer not to have the phones but this stuff just happens.
If they were US citizens they could move freely of course.
It is not unusual for people to be in transit in the US but unable to leave a ship, airport, etc., due to lack of visa or other requirement for admission.
I'm not minimizing it, but if someone's surprised by it, it's because of ignorance, not because it's something new and different.
"They're part of the ship. They are necessary to keep the ship staffed and operational,"
it’s in the water
It's a prison ship.
I suspect if more people knew this was a "risk" of doing this kind of job, they'd pick another job. But it's not a big enough problem *for the industry* to figure it out.
It's someone else's problem == not worth solving.
LUL no
there was a dude stuck on a ship off the coast of egypt for *4 years*.
Jesus Christ we suck at being humans in this country
Everyone on those crews knows this can happen.
Can you imagine your employer leaving you stuck on the other side of the world?