Ships visiting Queensland ports set to get Covid-19 jab

A new program targeting ‘high-risk’ people will be rolled out across Queensland as part of a nation-leading trial.

CREWS of high-risk ships entering Queensland will receive a Covid-19 vaccination as part of a nation-leading effort to halt the growing number of outbreaks at sea.

Queensland Health and Maritime Safety Queensland will administer Covid vaccines to all international seafarers arriving in the state’s ports to protect their health and the nation’s supply chain.

The vaccination program will first target high-risk ships which visit Australian ports on a regular schedule and those which carry liquid fuels.

International Transport Workers’ Federation Australia co-ordinator Ian Bray said protecting workers and the nation’s supply chain was vital with 10 per cent of the world’s sea trade passing through Australian ports.

“International seafarers are the backbone of the economy, but a growing number of Covid outbreaks on vessels arriving in Australian ports highlights the need for urgent action to protect the health of these workers, reduce the risk of community transmission, and strengthen supply chain resilience,” he said.

“Many of the vessels that travel through Australian ports visit regularly — often on the same routes — making it easy to administer both doses of vaccine to seafarers over a period of months.

“Even for crews that only visit an Australian port once, the health advice is that a single dose of vaccine significantly reduces the risk of them requiring hospitalisation.”

Crew From a ship anchored off Weipa were flown to Brisbane by LifeFlight and transported to hospital after testing positive to Covid-19 last month. Picture David Clark

This month a vaccinated maritime worker who boarded a foreign vessel transmitted the deadly Delta strain to a Cairns taxi driver, plunging the tourism-reliant city into a snap three-day lockdown.

There are also regular Covid-19 cases recorded on ships anchored off Queensland.

Maritime Union of Australia national secretary Paddy Crumlin called for the Commonwealth Government to adopt the program nationally.

“This Australian-first model developed by Maritime Safety Queensland and Queensland Health has the potential to save countless lives and should be taken to national cabinet as a matter of urgency so it can be implemented around the country,” he said.

“Without ships, Australia’s economy would grind to a halt, which is why Covid testing of all international seafarers arriving in Australian ports, the provision of healthcare to sick workers, and a national plan to vaccinate the entire workforce is so important.”

Maritime Safety Queensland general manager Angus Mitchell notified industry stakeholders last week and said the trial would start within weeks.