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More than 100,000 crew members are stuck at sea on cruise ships around the world, according to an investigative report from the Guardian. Of these, at least 50 are infected with COVID-19 and 17 have died of the virus.

"Many of these crew are quarantined in tiny cabins, and some have had their pay cut off," according to the Guardian. "They have effectively become a nation of floating castaways, marooned on boats from the Galapagos Islands to the port of Dubai."

Stranded cruise ships have been an ongoing issue throughout the pandemic and have become a symbol of the struggle to contain the virus. The coronavirus spreads easily in confined quarters such as cruise ships, and many ports around the world haven't allowed ships to dock if there has been an outbreak.When the ships finally dock, the passengers are shuttled off ships and put in quarantine on land, but crew members are left on the boats.

The cruise line industry announced a voluntarily suspension of most ship operations from U.S. ports on March 13. The next day, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a “no sail” order to all cruise ships that had not suspended operations. But dozens of ships remain at sea.

In early April, the Coast Guard said it has been involved with processing about 120 vessels carrying some 250,000 passengers in a three-week period alone. As of April 4, there were 114 cruise ships, carrying 93,000 crew members, either in or near U.S. ports and waters. Another 41 cruise ships, with 41,000 crew members, were underway and close to the U.S. at the time.

The San Francisco Bay Area has faced its own issues with cruise ships. The Grand Princess was held off the California coast for day before docking at the Port of Oakland. Hundreds of passengers were dispatched to military bases for quarantines, while some crew members were left on the ship. When the ship arrived in Oakland, 21 passengers and crew members tested positive for COVID-19 but in the days and weeks that followed, dozens more were confirmed to have the virus.

A Filipino crew member on the ship died due to complications with COVID-19, according to a statement from the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns. The patient had been transferred off the ship and hospitalized in San Francisco in March.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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Amy Graff is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com.