Vital supplies are being delivered to seafarers in quarantine on board ships in Croatia thanks to a grant from the ITF Seafarers’ Trust Emergency Covid fund.
The aid packages are being put together and distributed by the Seafarers’ Union of Croatia across six ports and terminals. So far around 200 seafarers have had deliveries of essential items including protective face masks, gloves and visors.
One seafarer said the supplies have been a lifeline during the uncertainty of the crisis.
Seafarers in isolation after disembarking from ships have also been receiving the same service from the union.
General Secretary Neven Melvan said: “These aid packages are really keeping seafarers going while they are required to stay on board a ship, or in the early days when they’ve been able to disembark but aren’t able to go out and shop for themselves.
“We’re not talking about luxuries here, this is the absolute essentials that everyone should have access to and we’re really thankful we’ve been able to offer that support for seafarers.”
Head of the ITF Seafarers’ Trust Katie Higginbottom said: “This is another example of the really vital role that unions are playing in making sure seafarers can get through this crisis.
“They have the networks to get the supplies out where they’re needed and we’re really pleased to have been able to support that through the Emergency fund.”
Read more here about the ITF Seafarers’ Trust Covid-19 Welfare fund
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