Earlier this week the Shipping Australia Secretariat provided a comprehensive brief to Federal Government officials on the crew change crisis.
Shipping Australia was asked, at very short notice, to provide a brief on how the shipping industry takes into account the need for COVID-19 risk mitigation together with evidence that the shipping industry alleviates that risk through action.
Consideration of risk
To demonstrate that the international shipping industry is considering how to mitigate COVID-19 transmission risk, the Shipping Australia brief contained an overview of the various sets of protocols issued by such bodies as the International Maritime Organization and the International Chamber of Shipping. We also included a variety of sets of crew change protocols that have been provided to us by shipping industry companies to show how companies themselves are considering how to mitigate risk.
Mitigation of thanks
To demonstrate that the international shipping industry is actively working to mitigate COVID-19 transmission risk, the Shipping Australia brief contained evidence of control measures such as photographs of seafarers physically distancing, using alcohol sanitizer, disinfecting ships and carrying out other such actions. We also included other documentary evidence such as logs of temperature checks being carried out.
Our most heartfelt thanks
We, of course, simply could not have put together such a comprehensive brief without the invaluable help and assistance provided by friends in Australia and around the world. We would like to thank FONASBA for distributing our call for help and to those who responded to it.
Although preserving confidences prevents us from naming names, we would like to express our gratitude to everyone who contributed to our urgent call for help.
Thank you.
