Maritime transport activities in dire need of human resource

Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The on September 17 proposed localities to create conditions for maritime transport activities, aiming to effectively maintain the supply chain of import and export goods at the current tough time.
(Illustrative photo: SGGP)
The minister was making the suggestion at an online meeting on creating favorable conditions for maritime transport and logistics services under the complicated Covid-19 pandemic situation.

Vaccination for sailors was one of the highlighted issues shared at the meeting.

Director General of Vietnam Maritime Corporation (VIMC) Nguyen Canh Tinh said that only 10 percent of 4,000 people working for 78 ships that operate domestically and internationally have got vaccinated.

Representatives of enterprises were also concerned about sailors who have to complete the 14-day quarantine period. This regulation has forced vessels to dock at the ports for two weeks, raising costs. For this reason, the ministry suggested provinces and cities create favorable working conditions for sailors if they have the negative PCR test result for Covid-19 and strictly follow coronavirus prevention and control measures.

Another issue at the current time is that the number of granted travel passes in the localities is inadequate for businesses to operate. According to General Secretary of Vietnam Ship Agents and Brokers Association, the Ho Chi Minh City authorities granted only one to two travel passes for each agent and enterprise, accounting for only ten percent of their need. The figure should be 70 to 80 percent to ensure the human resources for ports exploitation.

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