More than one million seamen and seawomen work on the approximately 58,000 merchant ships worldwide to bring 12.4 billion tons of goods safely from seaport to seaport every year. The pandemic has hit this occupational group particularly hard: For months, crew changes were hardly possible and shore leave were prohibited in many ports. This meant limited access to vaccinations for many seafarers for a long time. Bremen and Bremerhaven made a difference: They were the first German ports to offer vaccinations to ship crews from mid-July 2021 – on board the ships, at the railing, in the vaccination bus or in the Seamen’s Club, seven days a week and almost around the clock. The Ministry of Science and Ports and the Ministry of Health, Women and Consumer Protection initiated and developed the vaccination campaign for seafarers in cooperation with the port medical service, the port captain and the vaccination centers.
Almost 15,000 seafarers in total from all over the world received the COVID-vaccination in the ports of Bremen and Bremerhaven (Bremen: approx. 3,000 vaccinations, Bremerhaven approx. 12,000 vaccinations). The teams of the German Red Cross, the staff of the Bremen and Bremerhaven Seamen’s Missions and other supporters managed the vaccines. After almost two years the vaccination campaign has now ended. Dr Claudia Schilling, Minister of Science and Ports, and Claudia Bernhard, Minister of Health, Women and Consumer Protection, together with the Bremen and Bremerhaven Seamen’s Missions and the Association of Hamburg and Bremen Shipbrokers, thank everyone involved for their support and continued commitment.
Dr Claudia Schilling, Minister of Science and Ports: “Our Bremen ports functioned without restriction during the pandemic, but Covid hit the seafarers particularly hard. As a port and shipping location, we were glad to be able to take responsibility for the health of seafarers in cooperation with port stakeholders and the German Red Cross in this exceptional situation, protect them by providing vaccines and facilitate crew changes. Only thanks to the great commitment of everyone involved, the state of Bremen is a worldwide pioneer.”
Claudia Bernhard, Minister of Health, Women and Consumer Protection: “This joint action was the only access to vaccination against the corona virus for many seafarers. Our principle, ‘Together against COVID’ also applied across all national borders. All the actors in the Bremen port did a great job, bringing this guiding principle to life. And thus the vaccination offer to the seafarers has also made an important contribution to the global containment of the pandemic.”
Deacon Magnus Deppe, head of the Bremen Seamen’s Mission: “The vaccination offer of the Bremen Seamen’s Mission for the seamen was a privilege for most of them that only a few of their compatriots could enjoy. The city of Bremen has thus shown itself from its best Hanseatic side – cosmopolitan, helpful and pragmatic.”
Uwe Baumhauer, Seamen’s pastor of the Lutheran Church of Hanover and station manager of the German Seamen’s Mission Bremerhaven: “For the Seamen’s Missions, the dignity of seafarers is paramount in their work. The Seamen’s Mission supports seafarers in all situations in life and is committed to their participation in social life, regardless of origin, gender or religion. The vaccination offer at the Seamen’s Club Welcome is a good example of a successful and fruitful cooperation and the good collaboration that has always existed between the Seamen’s Mission, the Port Medical Service, the Ministry of Science and Ports and all those who made this action possible in the first place with their political support and energetic commitment.”
Dr Alexander Geisler, Managing Director of the Hamburg and Bremen Shipbrokers Association: “While many countries did not offer vaccination and even prohibited shore leave, the Bremen ports opened up, shared the coveted vaccine and thus sent a strong signal of lived solidarity to the seafarers. The feedback from the ships and shipping companies shows that this signal was gratefully received. All those involved can be justifiably proud of what has been achieved.”
Source: Hamburg and Bremen Shipbrokers´ Association