Covid-19: Seafarers to be amongst the first groups for vaccination

Covid-19: Seafarers to be amongst the first groups for vaccination
17/12/2020 https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/covid-19-seafarers-to-be-amongst-th...

For many seafarers, the situation has become unbearable. Due to Covid-19 tens of thousands of crew members have been stuck aboard their ships, many for more than a year now. Although crew changes have been made possible in some countries, the implementation remains very complicated. Even access to general medical assistance in some ports is still very difficult. “Seafarers are key workers and therefore, they must be amongst the first groups for vaccination, once available”, says Aslak Ross, Head of Marine Standards at Maersk A/S and First Chairman of the Container Ship Safety Forum e.V. (CSSF).

Physical and mental health on board – not only related to the coronavirus – remains top priority for all CSSF members. It was one of the major topics during CSSF’s video members’ meeting in November 2020, when 38 participants from 23 member companies exchanged ideas and experiences how to mitigate the stress on board. An example for best practices in this respect is the implementation of independent mental health helplines for those in need, on board and for relatives ashore.

Industry position on addressing container ship cargo fires

During the video meeting, members have adopted the CSSF position paper on addressing container ship cargo fires. It is now available for download on the CSSF homepage (www.cssf.global). Amongst others, the paper covers positions on risk mitigation, enhancement of fire-fighting capabilities, casualty response and development of new solutions.

The next biannual member meeting is planned for 19 and 20 May 2021. Any container ship management company interested in joining the meeting is invited to contact the CSSF secretariat.
Source: CSSF