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Queensland will become the first Australian jurisdiction to administer COVID vaccines to all international seafarers arriving in local ports, with a trial program commencing in the coming weeks aimed at reducing the risk of serious illness and community transmission.
Singapore will soon be launching its initiative, SEAVAX or Sea Crew Vaccination Initiative, for foreign non-resident sea crew. Yesterday, Chee Hong Tat, a Singaporean politician has made this announcement in his speech for the International Safety@Sea Week.
The country, in an emergency order, stated that no cruise ships will be permitted to dock at ports in the Bahamas with unvaccinated passengers aged 12 and older.
Five marine agencies of India have forwarded an appeal to the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) to make the second vaccination for the seafarers faster and easier.
For the time being, this is a trial in the Rotterdam region in which 10,000 Corona vaccines are available for all sea-going vessels over a period of 2 months.
The latest Seafarers Happiness Index from The Mission to Seafarers paints a harrowing picture, with the lack of shore leave causing distress to many.
Belgium on Monday launched a Covid-19 vaccination program for foreign sailors at its bustling ports. Officials have said that medical teams would be boarding ships for inoculations.
The IMEC and the ITF have since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic worked closely together to ensure that seafarers are kept safe from the coronavirus and that crew change continues with minimum disruption.
Global vaccination drives for seafarers are currently going so slowly that it will be unable to prevent potential outbreaks on ships, resulting in trade disruptions, endangering maritime employees, and slowing economies trying to recover from the pandemic shock.
Maritime Association of Shipowners Shipmanagers and Agents (MASSA) had alleged that several lakhs of Indian seafarers who are not or no longer Maharashtra state residents are denied COVID-19 vaccines by the BMC-run hospitals.