On-board measures against COVID-19

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WHO published guidelines for managing covid-19 cases on board ships and U.S Coast Guard published guidelines for Vessel Inspections, Exams and Documentation

  • Published:
  • Author: Panos Mouratidis

On 25 February 2020, World Health Organization (WHO) published interim guidance for managing COVID-19 cases and outbreaks on board ships. The main points of the aforementioned guidelines are described below:

-Outbreak management plan for COVID-19 disease                                                 

-Prior to boarding

-Managing a suspected case on board a ship

-Managing contacts

-Measures on board the ship

-Outbreak investigation

It is recommended that this guidance be used with the World Health Organization (WHO):

‘Handbook for management of public health events on board ships’

 

On 26 March 2020, U.S Coast Guard published a Marine Safety Information Bulletin regarding Vessel Inspections, Exams, and Documentation. The objective is to safeguard the continued operation of the Marine Transportation System (MTS). The main points of the aforementioned guidelines are described below:

-To facilitate the safe flow of commerce, the Coast Guard will liberally use remote inspection techniques to verify vessel compliance and, if needed, defer inspections.

-Prior to boarding a vessel or immediately prior to conducting a pre-exam/inspection meeting, Marine Inspectors, Port State Control Officers  (PSCOs), and Commercial Fishing Vessel Examiners will verify with the vessel representative that there are no ill persons onboard.

– U.S. flagged vessels and OCS units due for Certificate of Inspection (COI) Renewals, Annual Inspections, Periodic Inspections, Dry Dock Exams, and Internal Structural Examinations (ISE) that are based on statutory or regulatory requirements should be addressed on a case-by-case basis by the local OCMI.

-Recognized Organizations (ROs) and Third Party Organizations (TPOs) that are conducting surveys and audits on behalf of the Coast Guard may request extensions on a case-by-case basis on behalf of the vessel owner or operator.

-The same allowances should be considered for companies that are required to complete internal vessel and management audits as required by ISM or TSMS. These companies should work through their RO/TPO for extension requests.

 

Source: https://www.who.int/ , https://www.dco.uscg.mil/

 

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