The crew also socially distanced amongst themselves
as much as they could, splitting up for mealtimes.
what it used to be, as vessels spend little time in
port these days. Still, prior to COVID-19 the crew
Newly joined crew members were also subject to a
on heavylift vessels did experience a greater length
onboard from February 3 until July 30 when they
such as tankers and container vessels, allowing
10-day semi-quarantine. Some crew members were disembarked in Baltimore, Maryland. Captain Sutton commends his exceptional crew for continuing to complete their assigned tasks in a professional
and sometimes cheerful manner, considering the
circumstances under which they were working.
of time in port than perhaps other types of vessels for crew members to see and experience diverse
cultures in ports worldwide.
Capt. Sutton likes the quality time at home with
his children and grandchildren that this way of
life affords him. He added, on one hand, a seaman
“With being stuck together for six months, we have
spends a good amount of time away from home and
account that there was no chance to go ashore and
of time at home give them the chance for quality
speaks volumes,” said Sutton. “Additionally, there
time with their children in the classroom, go on all
experienced minimal issues; when you take into decompress during this time, that in and of itself were long periods of uncertainty as to when we
would be able to get home, and of course, we were
all worried about our loved ones far away.”
loved ones, but on the other hand the long periods
time. For him it’s a good tradeoff as one can spend the field trips, and generally spend more time with family than a 9-5 job would typically allow.
odds and ends that make life a little better, including
“US Ocean heavylift vessels give the crew an opportunity to see ports and places not generally frequented by US flag vessels,”
course); and the like. They even got to enjoy a local
said Sutton. “And of course, nice weather days of
also able to load up on all the needed PPE, such as
being in port for an inordinate amount of time are
To keep up the morale, Capt. Sutton increased the frequency of the crew’s cookouts with the last one
taking place on the Fourth of July. An added boost, the crew had an excellent chandler in Singapore that was able to get the crew members many of the
different foods, snacks, drinks (non-alcoholic of dish of chili crab and prawns. The Grand crew was
sunshine in the middle of nowhere, particularly after
masks, hand sanitizer, and cleaning supplies.
a plus.”
Reflecting on the situation, Sutton shared that the
Capt. Sutton wants people to know that he and
it. “Going forward we will have to change to meet
essential goods and cargo to their destinations, and
this virus a forerunner of more to come,” he said.
family and friends at home especially during these
world is changing, and shipping is changing with
new challenges; realistically we can only consider “I’m afraid this new preventative stance is going to be necessary for some time to come, perhaps from
now on; and we’ve learned that different people view this pandemic with varying degrees of concern. So
his crew will continue to do their jobs by carrying
that while they do it, they are always thinking of their
difficult times. “As long as we are provided the tools
to meet this new challenge, we will continue to do
our best,” he said.
perhaps the most difficult challenge will be how
serious people take it and if they continue to take precautions.”
His advice for the next generation? Newcomers
should understand that “going to sea” is not perhaps
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