Following a Covid-19 vaccination campaign aimed at Belgian seafarers, Belgium is now extending their vaccination programme to cover all seafarers arriving in the country.
This recent example follows other initiatives already in place such as in the United States, as well as in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Greece.
MSC, the second-largest liner operator in the world, has welcomed Belgium’s seafarer vaccination initiative, saying that “By ensuring priority vaccines for seafarers, governments can positively contribute to resolving the ongoing crew change crisis that has spiralled into a humanitarian crisis at sea.”
Marc Beerlandt, Managing Director MSC Belgium commented, “Lack of access to Covid-19 vaccinations has been putting global supply chains under increasing pressure. With the global movement of crew already heavily restricted, and hundreds of thousands of seafarers who have kept the world moving amid Covid-19 lockdowns still stuck at sea, lack of access to vaccines risks serious disruption to global supply chains.”
He added, “It’s critical for global trade and supply chains that governments recognise all seafarers as key workers and prioritise them for vaccinations and this initiative perfectly demonstrates the importance that the Belgian government attaches to the Flemish port economy.”
