Captain Jens Boysen disembarked one of the world's largest container ships on Thursday after 167 days at sea when he has acted not only as captain but also as a doctor, a dentist, a mental coach and entertainment director for his stressed-out crew members.

The coronavirus pandemic left almost 200,000 sailors like Boysen stuck onboard merchant ships, some for more than a year, because health travel restrictions make it almost impossible to rotate crews, according to the U.N.'s International Maritime Organization (IMO).

"I got medical advice, and then I pulled the teeth out," Boysen said, standing on the dock in Hamburg after bidding his crew farewell. "It felt almost like a war situation," he added.

To keep up the crews' spirits, Boysen organized karaoke tournaments, bingo and piggy-back races.

The captain, who has accrued a vast amount of holiday along with some paternity leave, has no intention of taking a brief vacation - he's taking the rest of the year off.

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