Surging Omicron cases on board container ships threaten to hamper recovery of the supply chain

• Omicron cases are growing among seafarers onboard container ships, Bloomberg reported.
• Growing infections means crews are less likely to be able to change over at ports.

An increase in outbreaks of Omicron aboard cargo ships could slow down a recovery in the global supply chain, Bloomberg reported.

Several ship management companies have recently reported a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases among seafarers working onboard their ships, Bloomberg reported. Ship management company, Anglo-Eastern, said infections are now breaking out on five to seven vessels a month, compared to around two infections in the same time period last year.

The news outlet added that Wilhelmsen Ship Management has had almost the same number of ships reporting infections since January as it did during the whole of 2021.

The global supply chain was last year thrown into disarray after a surge in demand for goods during the pandemic, combined with virus-induced staff shortages at ports and in the trucking sector, resulted in long queues of vessels waiting to enter harbors around the world.

A rise in the number of ships affected by COVID-19 outbreaks could slow turnaround times for cargo vessels as they wait for quarantine periods to end. Infections onboard cargo ships also reduces the likelihood that crews will be able to change at ports.

The issue is particularly pronounced for vessels arriving in China, where strict rules demand ships be quarantined when a case is detected onboard, per Bloomberg. The outlet previously reported that around five more ships had to wait to berth in Hong Kong in January compared to the previous month, due to the quarantine rules.

According to the Global Maritime Forum, the number of seafarers working onboard ships beyond their contract expiry date increased from 3.7% to 4.2% in January, due to a growing number of seafarers contracting the virus.

A slow rollout of vaccines among cargo workers during the pandemic also threatened both their health and the shipping industry. As of February, vaccination rates are at 66.8% according to the Global Maritime Forum. The organization also reported vaccine hesitancy and difficulty accessing booster doses among some seafarers.