health and safety
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TIME TO PUT SEAFARERS FIRST The mental and physical health of seafarers continues to be of vital importance in the current climate. In recent weeks, the International Chamber of Shipping, among other organisations, has been calling for governments to prioritise them for vaccinations
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sben Poulsson, chairman of the board at the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), said that governments needed to respond to the dire situation of seafarers as a matter of urgency. “In my 50 years in the maritime industry, the crew change crisis has been unprecedented in the devastating impact it has had on seafarers around the world”, he said, following the conclusion of ICS’s quarterly board meeting. “We cannot continue to turn a blind eye to the plight of hundreds of thousands of seafarers. All nations have benefited from their sacrifice throughout the pandemic. Those same nations have a duty to prioritise seafarers for vaccinations and keep their word to allow crew changes. “We will be feeling the ripple effects of this crisis for years to come, but today, governments have a chance to take meaningful action to protect seafarers and global trade. They must seize it. Seafarers cannot survive on platitudes. The ships sounding their horns today are letting national governments know that the world is watching.” ICS recently released a video spotlighting seafarers affected by
BULK TERMINALS
international | SUMMER 2021
