The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) is again calling on countries to focus on vaccinating seafarers by backing vaccine patent waivers at an important World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting next month.
"If the rich countries do not support patent waivers at the 8 June TRIPS Council meeting, then not only will more seafarer lives be lost, we will also miss our opportunity to be rid of the crew-change crisis and the daily risk it places on essential supply chains," the ITF seafarers' section chair, David Heindel, said.
The TRIPS — or Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property — Council is part of the WTO and provides standards for intellectual property rights.
Supporters of the waivers, which tend to be developing countries, believe it will boost production of Covid-19 vaccines.
The ITF said there are still 200,000 seafarers forced to work on board ships after their contractual limits, as many countries have refused to allow crew changes at their ports.
That is half the number at the height of the crew-change crisis, but thousands have been at sea for a year or longer, according to the union.
"We are at a crossroads. One path is universal access to vaccines for all seafarers by everyone doing their part: government, union, business; simultaneously and globally," Heindel said.
"The other path is seriously frightening: Covid on ships, seafarers dying at home, those on board unable to sign off."
The ITF commended the Dutch government for its efforts to vaccinate seafarers working on Netherlands-flag ships or on ships under Dutch management.
Critical role
It also said the US Coast Guard had assisted in vaccinating seafarers calling at ports in states where vaccines are available.
Many in the industry have argued that seafarers should have priority access to vaccinations, given their critical role in the global supply chain and fears that many could leave the industry once the pandemic has passed.
Industry and labour have worked together on the crew-change crisis, advocating for governments to grant seafarers key worker status to expedite changes and laying out frameworks in which those changes could happen.
Most recently, the International Chamber of Shipping published a 21-page guide calling for vaccination hubs worldwide.
