UN: Seafarers’ vaccinations must be prioritized with shipping tipped to overtake aviation in vaccine delivery
https://www.offshore-energy.biz/un-seafarers-vaccinations-must-be-prioritized-with-shipping-tipped-to-overtake-aviation-in-vaccine-delivery/
The move comes on the heels of warnings made by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) on vaccinations becoming a compulsory requirement for work at sea with some states insisting all crew be vaccinated as a pre-condition of entering their ports.
However, reports estimate that developing nations will not achieve mass immunisation until 2024, with some 90% of people in 67 low-income countries standing little chance of vaccination in 2021.
Some 900,000 of the world’s seafarers, well over half the global workforce, are from developing nations.
ICS said that was creating a ‘perfect storm’ for shipowners, who may be forced to cancel voyages if crew members are not vaccinated.
Shipping is expected to overtake aviation in the race to deliver vaccines around the world in the second half of 2021, in a distribution drive that is estimated to take four years. Shipping is also a vital method of transportation for accompanying personal protective equipment (PPE), whose estimated total volume will be 6-7 times that of the vaccine and refrigeration systems.
“The ongoing Suez Canal incident has reminded governments and the markets just how important global shipping is to the supply chains. Seafarers are continuing to work to maintain global trade, through exceptional circumstances and the Suez incident is only going to exacerbate the already dire crew change crisis. Seafarers must not be forgotten as soon as the canal is open again, and we call on governments to urgently act on these important recommendations,” Guy Platten, Secretary General of the ICS, commented.
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#WatchTheWater ^^^ 'perfect storm'