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News at Hitech

The international shipping community is facing a major labour crisis, with sailors stranded on ships or at home because of visa and flight restrictions, maritime groups said.

With crew changes down by 75 per cent, a humanitarian crisis is also developing, with sailors suffering mental health problems, fatigue and accidents from being trapped for months at a time on ships.

More than 200,000 sailors are unable to leave their vessels and a similar number are trying to get out to them, international shipping bodies believe the world economy is weeks from another disaster. Only 13 countries including the UAE, Britain and the United States, signed up to an agreement to designate sailors as key workers, allowing them to fly home without quarantine or visa issues.

Source: Vanguard, Nigeria

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