We receive many calls from captains and crew, asking about COVID vaccinations. There is no vaccination-on-demand available anywhere in the world that we are aware of, except the UAE and Russia.

The UN’s ILO and IMO agencies, as well as various maritime unions and organisations, are pressuring governments to make vaccinations a priority for displaced seafarers. There is, as yet, no framework in place to make this a reality, so we await further news.

For information about the vaccine roll-out in the Balearics, please visit https://www.ibsalut.es/es/es-vacuna-covid-19.

Gibraltar has one of the world’s most advanced vaccination programmes and we have asked the Gibraltar Health Authority (GHA) whether any provision had been made for seafarers transiting through its port. The GHA referred us to its online COVID ‘vaccination interest’ form, which you can complete here: https://www.gha.gi/covid-19-vaccination-interest-form/.

There is no indication that vaccination will be made available to non-residents, though given the success of Gibraltar’s roll-out, strong demand may help to persuade authorities to prioritise seafarers.