The International Chamber of Shipping has called for governments to prioritise seafarers and frontline maritime shore workers for COVID vaccinations so as to avoid a repeat of the 2020 ‘crew change crisis’.
ICS is demanding that governments, who are once again restricting travel as a reaction to new COVID-19 mutations, recognise the vital role seafarers play in the global supply chain.
Uninterrupted international trade is particularly important to Australia as it forms a giant part of our economy.
“Gross domestic product” is a term that means the total value of all goods and services in a country. It basically provides a snapshot of the economy. In 2019, exports of goods and services accounted for 24.1% of Australia’s gross domestic product while imports of goods and services accounted for 21.6% of gross domestic product . Accordingly, by adding the two sets of numbers together, we can see that international trade accounts for about 45.7% of Australia’s gross domestic product.
Uninterrupted ocean shipping is therefore also particularly important to Australia. About 99.92% by volume, and about 18% by value, of all freight moves in or out of this country does so by sea.
And that’s in a normal non-COVID year.
During COVID, that percentage is likely to be even higher because aviation freight – which accounts for about 0.08% by volume and about 15% by value of all freight into and out of this country – is mostly carried in the bellies of passenger aeroplanes. International aviation has been greatly restricted during COVID and we will await 2020 maritime- and air-freight data to see exactly how much the situation has changed.
Australians may also want to note that sea-freight is a primary driver of the broader Australian logistics industry and it is thought to support about 1.2 million jobs. That’s about 9% to 10% of the whole Australian workforce.
The benefits to keeping international trade flowing into and out of Australia is massive. The benefits of keeping the people who move international trade, seafarers, healthy is therefore also in Australia’s vital national interests.
Shipping Australia CEO Melwyn Noronha commented: “seafarers and shoreside workers are vital cogs in the wheel that keeps ships moving, which, in turn, keeps our economy working. It is paramount that we protect seafarers, shoreside workers and our economy”.
