This Guidance addresses legal, liability and insurance issues that could potentially arise for shipowners from or in connection with vaccinations of crew for coronavirus (COVID-19).

It considers questions that have been raised by members such as:

• Whether and under what conditions a shipowner can require crew to have vaccination;
• What vaccines may be safely given; and
• What might be the potential liabilities for shipowners in requiring crew vaccinations.

The document also provides guidance on best employment practice to protect against such liabilities and information on insurance cover for such liabilities under the shipowner’s standard Protection and Indemnity (P&I) insurance.

The second edition features a new FAQ and guidance section on shipowners’ obligations and potential liabilities in a variety of employment scenarios.

This guidance document should be read in conjunction with the related set of COVID-19 guidance documents published by ICS which can be downloaded here: https://www.ics-shipping.org/supporting-shipping/covid.