Brazil Bans International Crew Change At Its Ports

Posted in Maritime Security by Ankur Kundu

Jun 07, 2021 at 08:57.

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To avoid the spread of new Covid-19 strains in Brazil, the federal government has barred the entry of foreign seafarers operating onboard vessels or platforms.

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The restriction took effect on May 28th as a result of an ordinance that modified the regulations that had been in place since May 14th, prohibiting the arrival of other outsiders.

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he government stated that the measure is in response to the National Health Surveillance Agency's (Anvisa) recommendation to implement quarantine for marine personnel arriving from countries where the new types of Covid-19 virus are spreading like wildfire.

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Brazil's move is the latest in a line of tightening prohibitions on the embarkation of foreign seafarers by several jurisdictions across the world, further aggravating the crew change crisis situation.

According to the June Neptune Declaration Crew Change Indicator, which is based on data from ten prominent ship managers, 7.4 percent of crew onboard have exceeded the length of their contract in May, up from 5.8 percent the previous month, indicating relatively a 24.1 % rise.

On Wednesday the Ministry of Health confirmed that COVID-19 has claimed the lives of 2,507 more people in Brazil, bringing the total number of people who have died due to this virus to 467,706.

According to the government, 95,601 additional cases were found, increasing the overall number to 16,720,081.

Behind the US, Brazil reported the second-highest COVID-19 death toll globally and stands third in the number of people affected, after only the US and India.

Since the early stages of 2021, the South American country has been witnessing a new wave of infections, with the hospitals being overrun with patients.

The Ministry of Health reported that Brazil was successful in providing nearly 68.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, consequently more than 22.3 million people have received both doses of vaccines since the start of the national immunization drive back in January.