Seafarers’ International Union of Canada president Jim Given says he’s fighting government to have cargo ship employees prioritized for COVID-19 vaccines. (Heather Gillis/CBC)

The Seafarers’ International Union of Canada says it’s nearly impossible for crew members aboard cargo ships to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, as an outbreak aboard a massive cargo ship anchored off eastern Newfoundland shows the toll the pandemic is taking on workers. 

Union president Jim Given told CBC News that his members — who range from engineers,