Different world organisations have stressed the need for prioritising of Covid-19 vaccination for seafarers and aircrew.
According to a joint statement issued on Friday, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), International Labour Organisation (ILO), International Maritime Organisation (IMO), International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and World Health Organisation (WHO) have demanded early vaccination for seafarers and aircrew to ensure safe travelling.
The statement said that the coronavirus pandemic has triggered devastating consequences for human life and the global economy. Maritime and air transport are two essential activities that underpin global trade and mobility and are key to a sustainable socio-economic recovery.
According to the statement, more than 80 per cent of global trade by volume is moved by maritime transport. The global economy depends on the world’s two million seafarers who operate the global fleet of merchant ships. Seafarers have been severely impacted by the travel restrictions imposed during the pandemic.
As of January 2021, it is estimated that some 400,000 seafarers are stranded on board commercial vessels, long past the expiry of their contracts and unable to be repatriated. A similar number of seafarers urgently need to join ships to replace them.
The statement said that the passenger air transport carried about 5.7 billion passengers in 2019 while airfreight represents 35 per cent of the value of goods shipped in all modes combined. The total number of licenced aviation professionals, which include pilots, air traffic controllers and licenced maintenance technicians, was 887,000 in 2019, according to ICAO personnel statistics. Application of stringent public health rules to air crew, including quarantine, has resulted in hindered connectivity, operational complexity and significant cost.
“For shipping and air transport to continue to operate safely, the safe cross border movement of seafarers and aircrew must be facilitated. We reiterate our call upon countries that have not done so to designate seafarers and aircrew as key workers,” said the statement.
“With this statement, our organisations also call on governments to prioritise seafarers and aircrew in their national Covid-19 vaccination programmes, together with other essential workers, in accordance with the advice from the WHO SAGE Roadmap for prioritising the use of Covid-19 vaccines in the context of limited supply published in November 2020,” the statement said.
Seafarers and aircrew need to be protected through vaccination as soon as possible, to facilitate their safe movement across borders. We also call on governments to identify and prepare for the challenges of Covid-19 vaccination of seafarers and aircrew, particularly for seafarers spending long periods of time away from their home country.
