Lack of access to COVID-19 vaccinations is putting global supply chains under increasing pressure and placing shipping companies in a tough position when many governments mandate proof of vaccinations as a pre-condition of entering their ports.

So said the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), which has announced that COVID-19 vaccinations could soon become mandatory for work at sea. This poses significant issues to shipping companies which are left in an impossible situation with little or no direct access to vaccines for their workforce, particularly from developing countries. According to ICS, over half of the world’s seafarers are from developing nations who are not expected to achieve mass immunisation before 2024.