is a series of dispatches exploring how the coronavirus is affecting people’s lives. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Fadi El Seddik, a career seafaring engineer. The conversation has been transcribed, condensed, and edited by Rachael Allen.
In October 2019, I joined a cargo ship. The ship traveled from Africa to Brazil. At the time, nobody had heard of COVID-19. In January 2020, we came to Charleston, South Carolina. The U.S. Marshals detained the ship because the owner had a U.S. court judgment against him for damaged goods. The ship was anchored, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not allow anyone to go ashore because we did not have visas I live in Lebanon and because of coronavirus.