KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 1 ― The Ministry of Transport (MoT) which represents the country in the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is serious about looking after the well-being of 6,108 active Malaysian seamen serving on about 4,000 domestic and foreign ships.
Its minister, Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong said this was because seafaring was among the most important professions supporting modern life and global trade.
“This commitment can be proven through the seriousness of the ministry when the sailors were among the earliest to be vaccinated for the transportation and logistics sector since June 25, which was also the International Seafarers Day.
“To date, 46,616 maritime workers have been vaccinated under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK).
“Of the total, 4,398 were seamen or 72 per cent of the 6,108 active sailors have received their vaccination to date,” he said.
He said this in his speech when opening the “Fair Future For Seafarers: Challenges And Solution” conference virtually with the theme of the World Maritime Day “Seafarers: At The Core Of Shipping’s Future” organised by the Association of Malaysia’s Maritime Professionals (IKMAL), yesterday.
On the conference, Wee said it was aimed at drawing global attention to the contributions of the seafarers to the world trading sector by ensuring the supply chain was not stunted despite facing grave challenges.
“I hope this conference can boost maritime ties and scrutinise all aspects of challenges faced by the seamen, in terms of physical and psychological, especially during Covid-19,” he added. -BERNAMA -MalayMail