Seafarers need priority access to vaccines

Earlier this year, DFDS joined hundreds of companies in signing the Neptune Declaration on Seafarer Wellbeing, urging countries to recognise seafarers as key workers and give them priority access to Covid-19 vaccines.

“Slowly but surely, we’ll start seeing countries introducing Covid-19 passports. And even though seafarers are exempt in many regions, they are not really – they still have to use a lot of their personal time to get tested and that can take days. Some airports require a four-hour test, others a 24-hour one. There is no global standard that can help seafarers have seamless travel to and from work. If vaccination programmes for seafarers are prioritised worldwide, as they are in some countries, it will help keep seafarers safe while they are at the frontline on board,” says Gemma Griffin, Head of Global Crewing. “Seafarers need priority access to vaccines now.”, adds Gemma.

Read more about Neptune Declaration on Seafarer Wellbeing here.