In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe, severely impacting the maritime travel industry. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
Travel came to a halt, ships remained docked in ports for extended periods, and thousands of workers faced unemployment or isolation conditions. To reduce costs, many companies decided to dismantle their outdated cruise ships.
The Aliaga port in Turkey's Izmir province had become a "ship graveyard" at that time. Here, some of the world's largest cruise ships were broken down and sent for metal recycling.
Reuters photographer Umit Bektas captured this situation using a drone, showcasing to the world the severe blow the pandemic dealt to the tourism sector. According to Bektas, these images revealed not only economic hardships but also human tragedies.
He describes these shots as sorrowful for ship owners and operators, yet they express the reality of the pandemic. Although Aliaga port has since resumed its usual operations, the images from those years remind us of the most challenging times in maritime travel.
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerabilities of this sector and fundamentally changed global tourism.
