Swansea, WALES (AP) — More than 15 months into the coronavirus pandemic, tens of thousands of seafarers vital to the global shipping industry remain stranded at sea or in ports, unable to leave their ships or get to new assignments due to global travel restrictions. Friday is International Seafarers Day, and ships around the world plan to blare their horns in solidarity. It’s been a problem since near the beginning of the pandemic, but Kasper Søgaard of the Global Maritime Forum said the situation has worsened recently, largely due to new travel restrictions countries have imposed in response the delta variant of the coronavirus, which was first identified in India.
