Netherlands to vaccinate 50,000 mariners

The Royal Association of Netherlands Shipowners (KVNR) has announced that a Covid-19 vaccination programme for mariners will be launched in the Netherlands in mid-June.

All who work on Dutch-flagged or Dutch-managed vessels will be eligible and a total of approximately 49,000 Janssen vaccines will be made available and spread in instalments over the coming months.

The vaccinations will take place in a number of the country’s larger ports and at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam.

KVNR director Annet Koster, said: “We have to get ahead of that problem now. The risk of an infected ship is too great, after all, acute medical care is not immediately available at sea. Thanks to this vaccination program, the continuity of the service provided by Dutch ships can also be guaranteed.”