Posted on 11/19/2021 3:02:10 PM PST by DUMBGRUNT
“Don’t worry,” he typed in what would be a final email to his wife in April. “Everything will be fine.”
Last month, the ship, by then floating off the United Arab Emirates, sent what had become a familiar plea. Captain Sandu was dead and his body was in the ship’s walk-in freezer. For six months, it had traveled thousands of miles lying near the crew’s meat and vegetables. They needed to get him back to Romania.
...There currently are four seafarers’ bodies stuck aboard cargo ships, the International Maritime Organization says—as well as 36 urgent cases involving medical or humanitarian emergencies.
... The crew of one vessel declared force majeure, the “act of God” clause, which allowed them to sail more than 6,000 miles from Indonesia to Italy to return a dead captain.
The shipowner reached out to the Sandus with a counterproposal, which wasn’t acceptable to the family. The body of the captain would be cremated, or failing that, thrown into the sea.
Her husband’s story had reached the national news. Prime Minister Florin Citu, facing reporters who demanded to know how the government would stop the captain from being cast into the sea, said he would call another minister to make sure it didn’t happen.
Finally, in late September, the harbor master at the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah agreed to send a team aboard, test Capt. Sandu’s long-frozen body and allow his repatriation in a zinc coffin.
The test concluded cardiac arrest was the most likely, but not certain, cause of death.
It was the 13th country the Vantage Wave petitioned. All had refused to receive the body.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
Thank you for your service.
—”Unhand me, gray beard loon!”
Perfect!
Just perfect.
A friend and I were out to lunch on a workday and he ran into an old boss and invites him to sit with us... we were spellbound like the wedding guests. I needed to return to work, but no way.
The guy had been a wild young man, very Italian; telling us his real-life come to Jesus story.
He wakes up to the smell of burning sulfur a sign of Satan.
His sister a Catholic nun, appears and tells him to change his ways for he is bound for Hell...
The next day he receives a notice hs sister had died that night.
He retired and helps out in the church as he can and also works in the church baking bread for ongoing fundraisers.
In no way do I wish to make light of this event, it was transformative.
“Eftsoons his hand dropt he!”...
(The Wedding guest, here beat his breast, for he heard the bassoon within!)
Wow!
—”The Wedding guest, here beat his breast, for he heard the bassoon within!”
No need for the bassoon, my internal clock was calling me back to work...and I sat there transfixed.
That was about twenty years back and I can remember the pasta and where I sat at the table, a very interesting event. Right now, I’m unsure what I had for lunch yesterday.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.