InterManager president Mark O'Neil has called for shipmanagers to go it alone on seafarer vaccines after an "extremely frustrating" meeting with the International Maritime Organization.
In an outspoken introduction to the shipmanagement association's members' meeting on Wednesday, the Columbia Shipmanagement chief executive said vessel managers must now source their own jabs, as progress through national governments is too slow.
O'Neil said he and InterManager secretary general Kuba Szymanski talked to IMO representatives about the issue on 13 April.
"I have to say both Kuba and I were a little bit disappointed," he told members.
Political block
O'Neil said that it rapidly dawned on him that the IMO is politically and diplomatically muted in terms of what it can achieve.
"They just cannot do anything on this issue without having regard to other United Nations organisations and the politics of other member states," he added.
"By the end of our conversation we were not further forward — indeed, rather frustratingly backwards," the president said.
InterManager was told the IMO is working with the World Health Organization, UNICEF vaccines access agency Covax, and member states to set up various hubs for seafarer vaccinations.
But O'Neil said it became clear during talks that even the countries that are furthest down the road with their vaccination programmes, such as the UK, would probably only have jabs available for crew members in the last quarter of 2021.
And this is subject to having their own populations vaccinated, O'Neil said.
"I left that call extremely frustrated," he added.
So the president said: "We have to be prepared to take a firmer stance. Yes, we collaborate and support these agencies, but we can't rely only on those efforts."
"It's time for a separate self-help initiative," he added.
Firm position
O'Neil asked the executive committee to vote in favour of a motion that InterManager now takes a firm position in that international efforts have not been sufficient.
He said that while supporting the IMO, InterManager should make moves to source vaccines for member seafarers through whatever legitimate means are available.
Columbia has already done that, and many other big managers have already sourced their own vaccines.
But he added that the "I'm all right, Jack" approach is not the right one.
"We have to look at all of our seafarers and take whatever steps are necessary," O'Neil added.
"Sitting back and waiting for these bureaucratic and political organisations is only part of the solution. I'm sorry to sound negative."
He also said InterManager's new members do not want the organisation to be "wishy-washy" on the matter.
O'Neil revealed a couple of big companies are set to join in the next few days. "We are gaining traction," he added.
