The WHO, in a statement on 30 January 2020, declared that the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus originating in Wuhan, China (2019-nCoV) constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). As cases have now been reported in five WHO regions in the course of one month, with human-to-human transmission outside Wuhan, and experts still trying to identify crucial ‘unknowns’ about the virus’ transmission and infection, the WHO decided that a global coordinated effort is needed to enhance preparedness in regions of the world that may need additional support.

At time of writing, the WHO assesses the public health risk of this event to be very high in China, high at the regional level and high at the global level. The organisation does not recommend any travel or trade restriction at the moment, however, it is important to note that as the situation continues to evolve, so will recommendations and measures to prevent and reduce spread of the infection.

Gard is guided by the views and recommendations issued by the WHO in respect of this outbreak and advises Members and clients to remain vigilant. For the latest information about the outbreak, including an overview of affected countries, we recommend consulting websites of the:

? World Health Organization’s (WHO)
? European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
? US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC)

What we know about 2019-nCoV

? This is a novel (new) coronavirus that has not previously been detected in people.
? The virus was first detected as the cause of respiratory illness in a group of people in the Chinese city of Wuhan but has later spread within China and to many of China’s neighbouring countries, the US, Canada, Australia and Europe.
? The majority of infected people have connections to Wuhan.
? Fever, sore throat, cough, chest pain and breathing difficulties are reported as the main symptoms.
? The disease appears to be mild in many cases, but severe cases have been reported, with some fatalities.
? While the original source of this outbreak is likely an animal, human-to-human transmission has been confirmed.
? As with colds and influenza in general, transmission occurs via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
? There is no confirmed information about incubation time, but it is estimated to be between 2 to 14 days.
? There is no vaccine or specific treatment for the disease. Infected persons should receive supportive care to help relieve symptoms.
? Since this is a virus, antibiotics should not be used as a means of prevention or initial treatment.

Port situation in China as at 3 February 2020

According to our local correspondent, Huatai Insurance Agency & Consultant Service Ltd., no Chinese seaports have officially announced a lockdown, except for the inland river port of Wuhan. A recent AIS search for foreign and Chinese flagged ships in the Yangtze confirms this. There have been reports of significant drops in traffic in the region over the last couple of weeks. However, as dips in traffic levels around the Chinese New Year period is not uncommon, it is too early to conclude that this can be attributed solely to the 2019-nCoV outbreak.

An indication of the number of vessels moored in various ports in the Yangtze river over the last four years is shown in the figure below.

Despite reports of all major seaports in China operating as normal, ports have implemented strict prevention and control measures, such exit screening and temperature control of passengers and crews prior to departure. This may adversely impact the rate of loading and discharging operations leading to delays. Besides seaports, there are strict restrictions on the land side in China such as lockdown of some cities and stoppage of public transport operations. As a result, ship operators could face operational issues, such as arranging for surveyors and service engineers, or even delays in port operations, due to labour shortage.

Our correspondent has provided a summary of the protection and control measures implemented by authorities of each major Chinese port as at 3 February 2020.

China customs authorities require all visitors to report symptoms of respiratory illness to local authorities and to cooperate with customs to have their health screened. If there are any

Chinese crewmembers on board, local authorities may enquire if the crew member has visited Wuhan or made close physical contact with anyone from Wuhan in the past few weeks.

Websites of regional Maritime Safety Authorities (MSA), such as Shanghai MSA and Shandong MSA are useful sources of information for owners and managers.

Quarantine measures in ports other than in China

We expect that most port health authorities will, as a precautionary measure, be on a heightened state of alert in order to identify crewmembers displaying relevant symptoms for ships and crews that have previously called at any Chinese port.

Many countries have already implemented specific quarantine measures for ships arriving from China. One example is Singapore. The Maritime Port Authority of Singapore has implemented temperature screening of passengers and crew at all sea checkpoints. In addition, persons with a recent travel history to affected areas will not be allowed to enter or transit through Singapore. Other countries, such as the US may also require ships to proactively report any suspect cases after arrival to local health authorities. Some ports authorities, such as Port of New Orleans, may even impose a fine on ships that do not accurately report the health condition of crew members.

The situation may change quickly and it can be difficult to maintain a full overview of port restrictions being enforced at any given time. We therefore strongly recommend that ship operators and masters seek guidance from local agents well before arrival to know the type of quarantine measures in force in a given port.

Precautions which can be taken by ships and crew

It is very important to raise the awareness amongst crew members so that they are aware of the risks and precautions to be taken. The IMO has provided some advice for seafarers and shipping. Some Flag States have also highlighted the importance of ensuring seafarers are properly informed, such as in MS notice 02 of 2020 by the Directorate General of Shipping in India. Crew are recommended to:
? Cooperate fully with the health authorities and make an honest disclosure of the crew health onboard.

? Practice good hygiene. Some of the good practices mentioned by WHO are:
? Wash hands frequently.
? People with symptoms should practice cough etiquette (maintain distance, cover coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues or clothing, and wash hands).
? Avoid close contact with others if you have a cough and fever, and seek medical help.
? Practise food safety, such as by cooking the food items thoroughly.

When calling ports in China and other countries experiencing an outbreak:

? Reduce ship-shore activities by reducing ship-shore exchanges, boarding inspections, internal audits, external audits, maintenance and other activities. Unnecessary boarding visits should be prohibited.
? Strengthen gangway or ladder control by implementing stricter ISPS procedures. It would include enhancing the stairway control, checking the credentials of all personnel boarding the ship, and checking their temperatures and logging it. If any shore personnel are suspected to have flu like symptoms access should be denied.
? Entry of agents, tally, foremen, suppliers and other foreign personnel into the crew living area should be restricted to reduce contact between ship and shore personnel.
? Strengthen self-prevention, e.g. by wearing surgical masks, and not interacting with others onboard or ashore if there are flu like symptoms.
? Restrict shore leaves in ports.

In the event of a suspected diagnosis of 2019-nCoV infection onboard a ship, seek immediate expert medical opinion. The master should report the event as soon as possible to the next port of call, to allow the competent authority at the port to arrange, depending on the situation, medical evacuation or special arrangements for disembarkation and hospitalization of the patient and laboratory diagnosis. In addition, consider implementing the following list of measures onboard the ship when a crew member or passenger shows symptoms compatible with the disease:

? Keep the patient’s cabin doors closed, if not placed in a medical isolation room on board.
? Provide information about the risk of disease transmission to persons who will take care of the patient or enter the isolation area.
? Maintain a log listing everybody who enter the cabin.
? Anyone who enters the cabin to provide care to the person in isolation or to clean the cabin must wear appropriate PPE. A surgical protection mask is particularly important.
? Limit the movement and transport of the patient from the cabin for essential purposes only. If transport is necessary, the patient should wear a surgical mask.
? Start case investigation immediately. Wear appropriate PPE when interviewing the patient.
? Identify the patient’s close contacts and ask them to do passive self-monitoring of any symptoms.

At the request of a government port health authority, it may be necessary to provide information on passengers’ itinerary and their contact details. Ships may also have to complete and deliver the Maritime Declaration of Health (IHR Annex 8). Measures taken on board should be noted on the IHR Ship sanitation control certificate (IHR Annex 3).

Information on charterparty issues as a result of disease outbreaks can be found in our Insight “Charterparty clauses dealing with risks from Ebola and other diseases at ports of call”.

This was published during an earlier Ebola outbreak. Given the current situation, we believe members and clients may find some of the information useful.

Source: Gard 
 

The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The OLO News.