As the coronavirus pandemic threatens life all over the globe, INTERTANKO has released a new set of guidelines for shippers to control the outbreak onboard ships.
Here we are presenting some of the basic protective measures that seafarers and ship operators as instructed by the Intertanko COVID19 Outbreak Management Plan. Let’s take a look.
When In Port
- When entering ports of an affected country, seafarers must refrain from going ashore, with any disembarkation from the vessel avoided where possible and done only where absolutely necessary.
- Furthermore, during the port stay, there should be minimal interpersonal exchanges with persons from ashore, avoiding contact with people who show symptoms of flu or high temperature and taking care of personal hygiene, including more frequent handwashing, etc. The primary means to prevent transmission of the virus is to maintain social distancing.
- Encourage the terminal to use all available electronic and radio-controlled devices (Phone, VHF, E-mail) for the ship-shore interface.
Key points are:
- Ship’s staff exposure on the main deck must maintain social distancing. PPE to be worn as required. Care should be taken that the PPE in use must also comply with that needed for the handling of the cargo.
- If any shore person exhibits a fever or flu-like symptoms then they need to depart the vessel at the earliest possible time.
- Crew to frequently clean hands by using alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.
Gangway watch shall have to take remote temperature gauging of those coming on board (using a non-contact thermometer) and should not allow entry if the readings are above 37.3 degrees Celsius. - Generally, thermometers in the hospital on board are of probe type.
- Every company should make all efforts to provide non-contact thermometers for this purpose. Where clinical non-contact thermometers are of non-intrinsically safe type, those boarding should be escorted to a safe area where their temperature may be monitored.
According to the WHO, scanning for temperature is not 100% effective as some infected people show no symptoms initially and some do not develop symptoms for up to 10 days.
In general:
- No handshaking or any physical contact.
- No shore personnel should enter internal spaces of the vessel and accommodation doors should be locked.
- In the event that shore personnel do need to enter the accommodation, then they should be escorted throughout, maintain social distancing, and wash their hands frequently.
- Have available at the gangway sanitizing and disinfectant material for shore personnel when boarding.
- Food must not be brought on board by shore personnel. Shore personnel should not, where possible, eat on board.
- Have a dedicated space and /or toilet for the use of shore personnel, which should be cleaned and disinfected afterward upon vessel departure.
- Shore embarkation ladders/gangways: It is recommended that no crew member should come in direct contact with any shore equipment including shore gangways and ladders.
Berthing / Unberthing – cargo or bunkering operations
Officers and crew involved in such operations must take all precautions as to wearing the relevant PPE and especially after un-berthing taking into consideration that the terminal’s staff have come in contact with heaving lines, rope lines, etc. After sailing these lines are to be washed down using soapy water and all accommodation public spaces, corridors, handrails, toilet etc are to be properly disinfected.
- Reduce physical contact with shore personnel and exchange most of the documents as much as possible via email.
- Any produced garbage/litter originated from shore should be disposed of in a dedicated drum and landed prior to departure, if allowed, by the shore. Otherwise, it should be kept isolated.
- Following departure from port, monitor daily all ship staff’s temperature.
- On signing, crew luggage should be handled with gloves and cleaned thoroughly
Cargo Operations
Tanker operations often require loading masters, cargo surveyors, and other personnel to be on board. They interact with the ship’s crew in the following way:
- During the ship-shore safety and cargo meeting.
- The signing and exchange of ship-shore checklist.
- The use of the shore portable radio as part of the ship-shore communication protocol.
- Connection of manifolds.
- The use by the surveyor or the loading master of ship’s tank tables and cargo manual.
- Review of cargo monitors and gauging systems. Similar precautionary measures as mentioned above for bridge procedures shall be exercised in all common/controlled areas such as Cargo Control Room, Meeting Room, and Mess Room.
- Social distancing should continue.
Repair and Dry Dock
Operations During periods in repair yards, shore workers will need to gain access to the ship.
- The company and repair facilities should ensure that no workers exhibiting symptoms should be allowed on board.
- The repair facility is responsible for ensuring that all workers are free of the virus and that they complete a health declaration form prior to being engaged on the ship.
- The ship, company, and repair facilities should agree on the placement of a monitoring station prior to boarding the ship where the temperatures of the workers can be monitored.
- If the temperature readings are above 37.3 degrees Celsius, the worker should not be allowed on board. Only one gangway or access route should be used.
The following additional measures should be in place:
- No handshaking or any physical contact.
- No shore personnel should enter internal spaces of the vessel and accommodation doors should be locked.
- In the event that shore personnel do need to enter the accommodation, then they should be escorted throughout, maintain social distancing, and wash their hands frequently.
- Have available at the gangway sanitizing and disinfectant material for shore personnel when boarding.
- Food must not be brought on board by shore personnel. Shore personnel should not eat on board.
- Have a dedicated space and /or toilet for the use of shore personnel, which should be cleaned and disinfected afterward upon vessel departure.
- Shore embarkation ladders/gangways: It is recommended that no crew member should come in direct contact with any shore equipment including shore gangways and ladders.
Signing off and on seafarers
Prior to entry into port, the crew manager should ensure that crew changes can take place taking into account local regulations. In considering crew changes the manager must ensure that flights are operating and this includes transits in third countries. The seafarer signing off or on should keep with them documents showing that they are seafarers whilst transiting borders. Such documents should assist in their transit. The off signing crew member should complete a health declaration form.
- A standardized one can be found in the annex. In case of issues passing through borders, the seafarer should have the emergency contact telephone number for the consulate of their nationality for each country they pass through.
- No crew member should join a ship if they are feeling ill or suffering from flu-like symptoms. The WHO does not advise routine testing of on-signing seafarers for COVID-19 as the tests may provide false results if no symptoms are present and the test is only relevant at the instant of testing. Social distancing procedures should be in place during the hand over between the on and off signing seafarer.
- The off-signing seafarer must report to the company if during the 14 days following leaving the ship they feel ill or exhibit flu-like symptoms. Similarly, if there is a suspected outbreak on board, the company must inform all off-signers of the situation within 14 days of their departure from the ship.
Suspected case
In the event of a seafarer showing COVID-19 the following steps should be taken:
- Isolate the infected person in the hospital, or in a cabin with a separate toilet and bathing facilities, ensure the air-conditioning duct is isolated and the independent ventilation is used but the WHO advises that the door should be closed;
- Limit the number of carers of the patient, ideally assign one person who is in good health without risk conditions;
- No visitors;
- The carer should wear PPE consisting of N95 respirator masks or surgical masks, and disposable gloves;
- For close contact (e.g. to bathe or turn the patient), plastic overalls or aprons are essential;
- All PPE should be disposed of after each contact with the patient;
- Avoid direct contact with body fluids, particularly oral or respiratory secretions, and stools;
- Infected person’s cabin and belonging to be sanitized;
- Do not touch an infected person’s belongings, clothes, sheets or bodily fluids. As soon as a suspected case is discovered, then the company should be informed immediately and medical advice sought.
- The company should also inform the Flag State of the ship, the nation-state of the seafarer, and the ship’s P&I Club.
Did you subscribe to our daily newsletter?
It’s Free! Click here to Subscribe!
Source: Safety4sea
