Page 33 - Navigator 2021
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                MANAGING DIRECTOR ANNET KOSTER OF THE ROYAL ASSOCI- ATION OF NETHERLANDS SHIPOWNERS (KVNR) HAS RECEIVED BOTH NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR HER UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO SEAFARERS DURING THE CORONA PANDEMIC. SHE HAS MADE CREW CHANGES POSSI- BLE FOR SEAMEN WHO CALL AT THE NETHERLANDS. FURTHER- MORE, THEY ARE ABLE TO RECEIVE THE COVID VACCINE PLUS ACCOMPANYING DIGITAL VACCINATION CERTIFICATE, IRRES- PECTIVE OF THEIR NATIONALITY. OF COURSE, SHE FOCUSES ON OTHER MARITIME ISSUES AS WELL.
In the early days of the covid outbreak in 2020, Dutch shipowners could not in any way change their crew members aboard the ships. Due to the suspension of air traffic, foreign seafarers were unable to return home or fly in. However, when the situation became somewhat safer, the conditions on board less comfortable, the need to allow for crew changes became more pressing. Managing director Annet Koster of the KVNR: “The Netherlands may be a small country, but it has large ports. Normally,
many of the crew changes take place here, partly due to the proximity of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, which offers connections to all parts of the world. So, we contacted KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and they took a risk by setting up an air bridge to the main countries of origin of roughly 17,000 seamen sailing under the Dutch flag or under Dutch management: the Philippines, Ukraine, Indonesia, Poland and Russia. On occasion, this even meant that KLM needed to fly out empty due to various restrictions, such as in the Philippines.”
STEP TWO: VACCINATION
These actions were widely praised and KVNR figurehead Koster was consequently named Port Woman of the Year in Rotterdam in January 2021. That title and the accompanying international publicity have been used to raise more awareness for another issue: how can seafarers be vaccinated? Koster: “It is clear that they constitute a vulnerable group: they work and live in close proximity to one another, the medical care on board is insufficient to fight a pandemic. The ship itself might be a safe bubble, but external parties such as pilots, suppliers and inspectors can unintentionally carry the virus on board. Should a major outbreak occur, then problems with safe manning may arise and sometimes there is no other alternative than to drop the anchor. The fact that seafarers are constantly on the move between ports in various countries however makes vaccination a complicated issue. Many countries simply had no vaccines or would only administer them to their own population. In those situations, it doesn’t really help if the majority of the crew is still not vaccinated.”
FIRST PRIVATE PARTY
“To make a long story short: we received a call from the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) in March 2021,” continues Koster. “In June, we became the first private party to receive vaccines to inoculate seafarers. Quite uniquely, we were able to have these administered to seafarers on a structural basis, irrespective of nationality.
In total, some 50,000 vaccines type Johnson & Johnson/Janssen were allocated to the programme, since only a single shot suffices. Five months into the programme, almost 20,000 shots have been administered and we also provide the seafarers with the European Digital COVID Certificates, meaning they can go ashore (if allowed) and travel easier. The fact that an exception for seafarers is made in the Dutch vaccination strategy seems to indicate recognition of the fact that they have a key role to play in global trade.”
MARITIME ISSUES
Besides the successful counter-covid initiatives, the KVNR of course also focuses on structural maritime issues. One of these focal points is the shipping sector’s lack of visibility in politics and society. “Issues, but also opportunities,” says Koster. “This may sound like an odd thing to say,
but the Ever Given becoming stranded in the Suez Canal was actually beneficial in some ways. Not only due to the fact that the Dutch deep- sea towage sector played a significant role in solving the issue, but also because the empty shelves in the shops served as an immediate reminder to the entire world of just how crucial shipping actually is. Ninety percent of world trade takes place by sea. It also became clear how dependent we in the West have become on the Far East. This brings the reshoring
of production to Europe emphatically back in the picture. Interesting, because products manufactured in Europe will also mostly be transported by water. This offers opportunities for shortsea shipping, in which the Netherlands has traditionally always held a strong position.”
HUMAN CAPITAL
Another issue facing the Dutch maritime shipping industry is the low influx of new staff. Since the Dutch Maritime Pilots’ Organisation recruits its pilots from the maritime shipping sector, it is affected by this as well. Together with, among others, Maritime by Holland, the Dutch Maritime Pilots’ Organisation and the KVNR are working on ways to more clearly highlight just how attractive and varied the maritime sector is - both nationally and internationally. In the Philippines, for example, the KVNR has been supporting a local nautical college for more than 20 years.
CLIMATE, CLIMATE, CLIMATE
“Of course, the most dominant challenge by far is climate change,” says Koster. “This is a matter of great urgency which we are addressing on a daily basis.” The required energy transition also offers opportunities in that respect. A joint Master Plan of the Dutch maritime sector (see page 32) stimulates the development of zero-emission ships whilst simultaneously embracing digital and circular forms of production. “This is an opportunity for the Netherlands to reclaim our former pioneering role as an innovative maritime nation. However, the rest of the world is also not sitting idly by,” concludes Koster. “There is no such thing as a level playing field in that respect; look at the heavily subsidised shipping industry in the Far East, for example. We will have to counter this with a promising and viable business case. And we are confident that we will make that happen.”
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