Shipping & logistics personnel should be granted due priority for vaccination: MANSA

“It is imperative to give priority to seafarers and port & shipping personnel in the COVID-19 vaccination drive,” says, Capt Ram R Iyer, President, Maritime Association, in adding, “All waterfront workers- Shipping & logistics personnel should also be granted due priority for vaccination drive undertaken by the authorities. International Chamber of Shipping has given a clarion to governments worldwide to put seafarers and frontline maritime shore workers ahead of the vaccine queue and alleviate the Global humanitarian `crew change crisis’. Indian Government has been spearheading initiatives on this front and this presently needs the added push to facilitate and ensure India’s continued global eminence as a leading supplier of manpower in shipping & maritime industry.
Ship agents and full spectrum of shipping & logistic players all across India have been providing continued, unstinting services with great agility and sincerity, despite all COVID-19 restrictions, challenges and being dangerously exposed during the pandemic to ensure continued seamless movement of India’s Maritime EXIM trade.
The need to facilitate continued digital push and ensure ‘Enhanced Ease of Doing Business’ in ports, shipping & logistics arena with a committed focus on practicality and addressing real time issues. Whilst much has been done on the digitisation and in government’s continued endeavours in ‘Ease of Doing Business’ over the last few years, there is still plenty of scope and room for improvement in practical implementation of same at the Policy levels as well at grass root levels of implementation.
Government authorities would need to reaffirm their change in attitudinal policy to be ‘Facilitator of legitimate trade’ as against being a ‘Trade regulator’.