Make all efforts to vaccinate seafarers before joining duties: Mansukh Mandaviya

Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Saturday said the seafaring industry should not get hampered due to non-vaccination and emphasised that all efforts should be made to get seafarers vaccinated before joining their scheduled duties on board. According to an official statement, the Ports, Shipping and Waterways minister reviewed the status of vaccination to seafarers.

Due to the recent intervention by the ministry, major ports have started vaccination centres, the statement said.

Six major ports which include Mumbai Port Trust, Cochin Port Trust, Chennai Port Trust, Visakhapatnam Port Trust, Kolkata Port Trust and Tuticorin Port Trust have started vaccinating seafarers at their port hospital, it added.

Seafaring Unions/Associations like MASSA, FOSMA and NUSI have also successfully organized special camps for vaccination.

Apart from these measures, the statement said the ministry of PS&W has been making efforts to take state governments on board for including seafarers in their state 'priority' list, and Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Goa have already provided such status.

The government will leave no stone unturned to facilitate seafarers for vaccination, it added.