London (CNN Business)Seafarers, truck drivers and airline workers have endured quarantines, travel restrictions and complex Covid-19 vaccination and testing requirements to keep stretched supply chains moving during the pandemic. But many are now reaching their breaking point, posing yet another threat to the badly tangled network of ports, container vessels and trucking companies that moves goods around the world. In an open letter Wednesday to heads of state attending the United Nations General Assembly, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and other industry groups warned of a “global transport system collapse” if governments do not restore freedom of movement to transport workers and give them priority to receive vaccines recognized by the World Health Organization. Seafarers on board a Mitsui O.S.K Lines vessel share a message of safety. Seafarers on board a Mitsui O.S.K Lines vessel share a message of safety. “Global supply chains are beginning to buckle as two years’ worth of strain on transport workers take their toll,” the groups wrote. The letter has also been signed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the International Road Transport Union (IRU) and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF). Together they represent 65 million transport workers globally. “All transport sectors are also seeing a shortage of workers, and expect more to leave as a result of the poor treatment millions have faced during the pandemic, putting the supply chain under greater threat,” it added. Guy Platten, secretary general of the ICS, said that worker shortages are likely to worsen towards the end of the year because seafarers may not want to commit to new contracts and risk not making it home for Christmas given port shutdowns and constant changes to travel restrictions. Fragile supply chains That will heap pressure on stretched supply chains and could, for example, worsen current challenges with food and fuel supply in the United Kingdom. “The global supply chain is very fragile and depends as much on a seafarer [from the Philippines] as it does on a truck driver to deliver goods,” added Stephen Cotton, ITF secretary general. “The time has come for heads of government to respond to these workers’ needs.” Container ships anchored by the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles as they wait to offload on September 20, 2021. Container ships anchored by the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles as they wait to offload on September 20, 2021. When Karynn Marchal and her crew were told that they wouldn’t be allowed to go on shore upon docking in Hokkaido, Japan it was a big hit to morale. “None of us knew how long it would go on for,” the 28-year old chief officer of a car-carrying ship told CNN Business. That was more than 18 months ago. Marchal — and hundreds of thousands of seafarers like her — have not been permitted shore leave since. After weeks on board a ship, a couple of hours on shore provides much needed respite. But seafarers can only leave a vessel in order to travel elsewhere, usually to return home. Marchal considers herself “one of the luckier ones,” because she has at least been able to make it home to the United States. “There are people who have been stuck at sea for over a year,” she said. Karynn Marchal, chief officer, pictured on board her vessel in January 2021 in the Panama Canal. Karynn Marchal, chief officer, pictured on board her vessel in January 2021 in the Panama Canal. Early in the pandemic, many seafarers agreed to extend their contracts by several months to keep supplies of food, fuel, medicine and other consumer goods flowing around the world. The grounding of planes and border closures had made it almost impossible to move workers from one part of the world to another and to swap crews. At the peak of the crisis in 2020, 400,000 seafarers were unable to leave their ships for routine changeovers, some working for as long as 18 months beyond the end of their initial contracts, according to the ICS. Multiple vaccinations, repeated testing While these numbers have improved, crew changes remain a major challenge. Some travel restrictions were reimposed as a result of the coronavirus Delta variant and transport workers continue to face a myriad of vaccine and testing requirements just to do their jobs. Often these are imposed at a moment’s notice, said Platten. Inconsistent requirements mean that some seafarers have been vaccinated multiple times because some countries have approved only certain vaccines, according to Platten. He knows of at least one seafarer who has received six vaccine doses, or three two-dose regimens. “It’s an absolute nightmare. 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movement to transport workers and give them priority to receive vaccines recognized
