Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Advisory Notice #4
Our business continues to operate largely as normal. Whilst we, like many of our customers, have had to adapt our operations to the new challenges posed by the virus, we remain fully committed to keeping vital trade lanes open and to helping accommodate all our customers’ supply chain requirements during this period.
Please do not hesitate to contact your local Swire Shipping representative for more information and solutions for your shipping needs.
We summarise our approach to the current situation in three headings: Network Restrictions & Impact, Onshore Operations, Offshore Operations.
1) Network Restrictions & Impact
Governments continue to implement measures to protect communities from the spread of the virus. For shipborne operations, governments have implemented a minimum amount of time that must pass after departure from select ports and countries before a vessel can be cleared for entry at its destination.
In some cases, these measures have required an extension of transit times and a change of port rotations. However, the network continues to run largely as normal without major changes to overall coverage or capacity.
| Destination | Measures implemented |
|---|---|
| Australia (New South Wales) | 14 days from Mainland China, Iran, Italy, South Korea. Introduced by Port Authority of NSW, not state or federal government |
| Australia (Queensland) | 14 days from all overseas ports unless prior written approval has been obtained by the General Manager of Maritime Safety Queensland. |
| Kiribati | 14 days from any country with a confirmed case of COVID-19 |
| Marshall Islands | 14 days from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, Italy, Japan |
| Niue | 14 days from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei(Taiwan), Macau, Iran, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea,Indonesia, Thailand |
| Papua New Guinea | 14 days from Mainland China, South Korea, Iran, European Union, United Kingdom, United States of America |
| Solomon Islands | 14 days from Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Chinese Taipei (Taiwan), Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong SAR, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Macau, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Mainland China, South Korea, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Indonesia, Qatar, Israel |
| Tonga | 14 days from China, Hong Kong, Macau, Chinese Taipei (Taiwan), Italy, Republic of Korea, Spain, France, Germany, United States of America, Switzerland, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Japan, Belgium, Austria, Bahrain, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, The Czech Republic, Slovenia, Portugal, Finland, Israel, Kuwait, Greece, Egypt, Iraq, Ireland, United Arab Emirates, India, Estonia, Lebanon, Thailand, Indonesia, San Marino, Philippines, Romania, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Iceland, Qatar, Iran, Canada, Brazil |
| Torres Strait Pilotage (Great Barrier Reef) | 14 days from Mainland China, Iran, Italy, South Korea Note: Introduced by pilotage companies, not state or federal government |
| Vanuatu | 14 days from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Chinese Taipei (Taiwan), South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Iran, Italy |
| Western Samoa | 14 days from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, Italy, Iran, Kuwait, Chinese Taipei (Taiwan), Germany, Spain, France, Bahrain, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Malaysia, Denmark, Czechia Rep., Greece, Iceland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Qatar, Sweden, Switzerland, United States of America, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Australia. |
The situation remains fast moving. We shall update customers with any changes to the above and if there is any major change to our network or schedule.
2) Onshore Operations
The safety of our onshore staff members and the communities in which they live remain a top priority. We continue to follow all relevant government working and travel guidelines in the countries in which we operate:
Mainland China: all staff in Mainland China are now back working from their physical offices.
Singapore: onshore staffsplit into two teams alternating between work from home and work from office. This has been in place for 5 weeks.
Australia / Canada / India / UK: onshore staff split into two teams alternating between work from home and work from office.
New Zealand / Fiji / Papua New Guinea: staff continue to work from physical offices, with capability to work from home tested and upgraded in case it is required.
Business continuity plans have been tested in all Swire Shipping and agency offices to ensure an uninterrupted service can be maintained for our customers. This has included trialing teams working from home and involves staff in other geographic locations assisting with essential tasks if required.
Please advise your Swire Shipping representative what your preferred method of contact is during this period.
3) Offshore Operations
The safety of our offshore crew members and the communities which they serve remain a top priority for our business. From a crewing and ship operating perspective, we continue to follow all relevant industry and government guidelines to help prevent COVID-19 transmission.
Crewing: Crew changes have been planned strategically during this period. Regular temperature checking and monitoring of crews on board vessels has been implemented since the commencement of the outbreak.
Port calls: Best practice protocols during port calls have been adopted to reduce any chance of transmission during cargo operations. Crew members are health screened during port calls on a regular basis.
Contingency plans: contingency plans for individual vessel events have been established.