The National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI) has begun a national Covid-19 vaccination scheme for its members and their families.
The union is administering jabs at the Andheri and Navi Mumbai districts and is aiming to vaccinate 5,000 seafarers and family members. The programme is already planning to offer a second dose of the jab after 21 June.
NUSI said: “It is important for our seafarers to get the vaccination for their own safety and for the continuation of their employment.”
TradeWinds earlier reported how the International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN) has also started an inoculation programme in India through a sponsorship scheme involving other seafarers’ charities.
NUSI is an affiliate of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).
India has been one of the countries hardest hit by the pandemic. Although infection rates are declining, India is still recording more than 60,000 infections daily.
Seafarers who have travelled from India are not being allowed to carry out crew changes in some countries.
So far, the US has been the main place for seafarers to be vaccinated against Covid-19. The Port of Long Beach and the Port of Los Angeles have recently launched a scheme to vaccinate seafarers.
Many ship managers and shipowners have also been able to arrange for seafarers to be vaccinated at certain states in the US, which include foreign workers in their vaccination programmes.
Some European countries, like Belgium and the Netherlands, are running national inoculation schemes for their seafarers.
On Friday, a new grouping of national shipowner associations, known as M7, called on governments gathering for the recent G7 meeting in the UK to make vaccines available to seafarers.
