Ship crews looking for clearer virus jab system

A maritime charity has called for clarity on the process which allows seafarers to prove they have been vaccinated against coronavirus.

The Merchant Navy Welfare Board (MNWB) says seafarers must be given a certificate that proves they have been vaccinated to ensure they can work freely across the world and enable smooth crew changes.

It says seafarers, who come from a variety of countries across the world, cannot gain vaccination confirmation as they are not NHS registered and are unable to use the official NHS Covid-19 App.

While they may receive a handwritten card that confirmsavaccination,therehave been reports of seafarers returning home and authorities not accepting their vaccination status.

MNWB chief executive Stuart Rivers, said: “All sectors have been affected in one way or another by Covid, and the maritime industry is no different.

"While it’s encouraging that so many seafarers have been vaccinated during their visits to UK ports, not being able to prove their vaccination status is proving damning in thesearchofjobopportunities and repatriation.

“These sector-wide concerns need to be acted upon – sooner rather than later. From a domestic and international perspective,itisextremelyimportant that certification for seafarers can be recognised by other nation states and we believe our certification proposal, if implemented, would be a real boost for the sector. But if not, this problem could continuetoescalateandcreate more avoidable hardships for merchant seafarers.”

The MNWB say issues around certification were raised six months ago.