Seafarers adrift in currents of virus' shadow

Immense mental health and financial pressure have plagued unsung heroes in shipping industry amid the pandemic

At noon on June 25, commercial ships around the world will sound their horns to mark International Seafarers' Day. A symbolic gesture to the estimated 2 million men and women who work the world's merchant fleet, it will also be a mark of respect recognizing them as the unsung heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While they may not be frontline medical workers, the wheels of the global economy would simply not turn without them.

Since the pandemic began, these men and women have had their lives tipped upside down as borders were closed alongside restrictions imposed on the movement of people.