The race to vaccinate seafarers is slowly gaining momentum. 

Coronavirus cases remain stubbornly high globally despite the efforts of governments. But with vaccinations now on the table, there remains hope Covid-19 can be brought under control in the second half of 2021. 

India has sadly become the epicentre of the pandemic with over 300,000 deaths from the disease. 

But with the country providing just under 10 per cent of seafarers globally, the Maritime Association of Shipowners Shipmanagers and Agents (MASSA) revealed earlier this week that it will now launch a free nationwide vaccination push. 

“We will kickstart our Covid vaccination initiative from June 10 onwards and aim to inoculate at least 10,000 Indian seafarers with Covishield doses in Mumbai within a fortnight,” said Shiv Halbe the CEO of MASSA.

After a statutory period of 84 days, the second dose of Covishield will be administered free of charge to seafarers.

Meanwhile, the Port of Long Beach and Port of Los Angeles are set to vaccinate over 900 seafarers. 

“It’s great to see our city helping these sailors who serve on the ships that carry the world’s cargo across the oceans and keep this industry moving,” said Port of Long Beach executive director Mario Cordero.”

“We thank the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services for its foresight and efficiency in bringing the vaccinations to the ship crews.”

Long Beach Harbour commission president Frank Colonna explained that supply chain workers have played a pivotal role during a deeply challenging 18 months. 

“We need to vaccinate as many people as possible, and we’re pleased to see that vital work happening in our harbour,” he said.

“I’m so proud that Long Beach is doing so much to stop this pandemic by reaching out to mariners coming to both our Port and the Port of Los Angeles.”

The Netherlands is also prioritising seafarers’ vaccinations with 50,000 single jab vaccines to be made freely available to seafarers working on Dutch flagged or managed vessels this June.

Last month, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) published a Vaccination Roadmap framework to help establish vaccination hubs. 

Guy Platten, secretary general of the International Chamber of Shipping, explained that seafarers must be near the top of the line when it comes to receiving jabs. 

“The pace of Covid-19 vaccine production is a modern marvel, but the world is reeling over distribution delays,” he said. 

“Soon, seafarers will be delivering the vaccine by sea freight. Already they deliver critical PPE, safety boxes, syringes, and other medical materials for the vaccine rollout. Seafarers must be prioritised for the vaccine to not further exacerbate delivery delays.”

The vaccination programme is targeted at seafarers who: need to leave their vessels and return home, originate from countries which currently do not have vaccination available [this is approximately 60% of the seafaring population] and are based from countries which currently have not prioritised seafarers in their vaccination rollout. 

Due to the work of international seafarers, single-dose vaccines are preferred under this roadmap. However, it is recognised that these may not always be available in certain countries. With that in mind, the framework suggests plans should be developed for the second injection to be received in a timely manner.

The ship manager’s association Intermanager has rubber stamped a deal to buy one million doses of the Johnson & Johnson single-shot vaccine for seafarers worldwide, but at the time of writing it is still searching for a government body it can use as a conduit for the deal.

In China, where the virus originated in late 2019, the single-dose CanSino Biologics (CanSinoBIO) vaccine is being made available at 11 Chinese ports [Dalian, Tianjin, Qingdao, Lianyungang, Shanghai, Ningbo, Xiamen, Beibu Gulf, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Hainan’s Yangpu] as the authorities look to inoculate Chinese seafarers.