Unvaccinated seafarers are threatening to tip the global supply chain into deeper crisis as countries introduce vaccine requirements at their borders, The Financial Times reports quoting international shipping industry sources.

Of the world’s 1.7 million seafarers, 900,000 are from developing nations, where vaccines might not be available for all until 2024, according to trade association, the International Chamber of Shipping, a trade association.

Guy Platten, secretary-general of ICS, said it had received reports that three ports in China had prevented sailors from disembarking because they had not received a specific COVID-19 vaccine, foreshadowing a potential repeat of last year’s welfare crisis for seafarers and the challenges to rebooting international travel.

“If our workers can’t pass through international borders, this will undoubtedly cause delays and disruptions in the supply chain,” he said. “We’re really scared seafarers will become collateral damage again,” he told the newspaper.

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