The odyssey of the 13 Italian sailors blocked in China since June, on board their ships, due to a trade dispute between Beijing and Australia and the arrival of the pandemic, has ended: after the first 7, all the others have also returned home, announced Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, happy for the "good news" and for the "result obtained thanks to the commitment of our diplomatic corps".
The 13 sailors, almost all from Campania, were aboard the Antonella Lembo and the MBA Giovanni, two cargo ships of a Neapolitan company that transported ferrous material loaded in Australia and destined for Chinese industries. After a few months at sea, the situation worsened with the onset of the Covid pandemic, which prevented the rotation with other crews in other countries in the Far East. Among other things, the trade war that has been ongoing for several years between China and Australia has prevented the unloading of over 91 thousand tons of material from the two ships. And other options, such as changing the port of destination or returning to Australia, proved unfeasible due to the economic damage that would have fallen on the shipowners. So the 13 sailors had no choice but to remain on board in the China Sea, effectively isolated, indefinitely.
After a long stalemate, at the beginning of December the mayors of the municipalities to which the 13 belong asked for government intervention. And the Ministry of Foreign Affairs began a dense and not simple diplomatic effort, starting from the embassy in Beijing, which led to obtaining all the authorizations from the local authorities, necessary to start the repatriation procedures, Di Maio explained. The 7 sailors embarked on the Lembo returned to Italy on February 6.
For the other 6 of the MBA, another 2 weeks were needed, due to a delay in the arrival of the new crew and the coincidence of the Chinese New Year that slowed down the bureaucratic operations. This second group included the commander and the first officer of the Mba, Giuseppe and Adam Pugliese, who returned to Monte di Procida, the mayor confirmed. Now the small community on the outskirts of Naples is ready to celebrate them, as soon as they have concluded the period of precautionary isolation, due to the pandemic.
Article published on 20 February 2021 - 20:34
Video Chronicles
