IMO Ebola Infographic: What You Need to Know On Board Ships and In Ports


The chances of attracting the Ebola Virus Disease while onboard your ship or in port is extremely low, even if you find yourself traveling to and from the hardest hit countries in West Africa. For those of you onboard ships that don’t call in those countries, namely Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, your chances of coming down with the deadly disease are practically zero, and still only slightly higher if you find yourself onboard a Carnival cruise ship.
None-the-less, the International Maritime Oganization, through its work the World Health Organization and the ad hoc Ebola Travel and Transport Task Force, has issued some tips on what to do on board ships and in ports of Ebola-affected counties. While the infographic is specific to Ebola, it actually offers some good tips about fighting shipboard viruses in general, especially considering cold and flu season is right around the corner. After all, your fear of Ebola shouldn’t be the only reason to wash your hands.
Click the infographic above to enlarge and for additional IMO resources regarding Ebola, see HERE.


Dealing with Charterparty Issues in Ebola-Affected Ports



DUE TO THE FACT THAT STANDARD CHARTERPARTIES DO NOT CONTAIN CLAUSES SPECIFICALLY DRAFTED TO DEAL WITH EBOLA-AFFECTED PORTS, FEVER AND EPIDEMIC CLAUSES CAN BE DRAFTED. HOWEVER, WHERE THEY ARE ABSENT FROM A CHARTERPARTY THERE ARE A NUMBER OF ISSUES THAT CAN ARISE, ACCORDING TO UK THINK-TANK GRAY PAGE.


 The general rule is that the Master is obliged to follow charterers’ orders – and a charterer is to pay hire continuously through the charter period.  Whilst the Safe Port warranty generally relates to the safety of the vessel and cargo, an unacceptable risk to crew may render the port unsafe.  Nevertheless, the presence locally of Ebola may not render a port unsafe per se, particularly if there is to be no direct physical contact between the crew and persons at the port,” the think tank explained.
As a result,  charterers’ primary obligation is to nominate a port which is prospectively safe.  If the port becomes unsafe after nomination, owners and charterers may wish to check whether the charterparty has a Liberty clause which may be invoked.
Speaking of potential delays  at both Ebola-affected ports and for vessels arriving at other ports after calling at Ebola-affected ports, the think-tank said that there is a risk that a vessel could be placed off hire if it is quarantined prior to being allowed entry to a port.
“Therefore, Quarantine and Free Pratique clauses should be examined as they may affect both the commencement of Laytime and the giving of Notices of Readiness.”
Contingency Planning
As stressed by Gray Page, it is essential for any owner, operator or manager with vessels trading to ports in Ebola-affected countries (or even passing by them), to have a plan of action for certain contingencies:
  • A crew member presents with symptoms indicative of Ebola while at sea after a port call in an Ebola-affected country – or while alongside in an Ebola-affected country.
  • A supernumerary presents with symptoms indicative of Ebola while at sea after a port call in an Ebola-affected country – or while alongside in an Ebola-affected country.
  • A vessel needs to deviate to a port in an Ebola-affected country in emergency circumstances (Port of Refuge, major medical incident not Ebola-related).
  • A vessel is quarantined at a port following a previous call at port in an Ebola-affected country because one or more crew suspected of having contracted Ebola.
Plans should identify the roles, and delineate the responsibilities of, those responding to any such eventualities, as well as establishing:
  • Points of contact for relevant national/local authorities (health, port, diplomatic, law enforcement)
  • Identification of correspondents, enablers and subject matter experts (locally and internationally)
  • Priorities for allocating resources and applying them
Gray Page forecasts that the shipping industry should expect Ebola outbreak in West Africa to be having an impact on operations deep into 2015.
Fortunately, the risks to crews of contracting Ebola are extremely small if common sense precautions are taken. Unfortunately, contractual disputes between owners, charterers, shippers and receivers are an almost inevitable consequence of the growing restrictions on ships trading to and from ports in Ebola-affected countries,” the organization concluded.

West Africa Ebola Outbreak 
Guidance to UK Ports & Shipping OperatorsVersion 1 - October 2014 
Purpose of Document 
This document offers general guidance for minimising the risk to seafarers, port workers, passengers and others in the maritime environment, from the current outbreak of Ebola in West Africa. 
Instructions from company medical advisors, port medical officers or public health authorities should always take primacy over the advice in this document. If you have any concerns, please contact your manager. 
General Background 
There is currently an outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) occurring in West Africa. This is already the largest known outbreak of this disease worldwide. The current list of Affected Countries can be found below. 
Ebola is a rare but serious viral infection, spread person to person by direct contact with blood and body fluids of infected people. It does not transmit through the air. The incubation period is 2-21 days and there is negligible risk of transmission during the incubation period (i.e. before symptoms appear). Ebola virus is easily killed by soap or bleach and survives only a short time on dry surfaces or those exposed to sunlight. 
Ebola virus is not spread through routine, social contact (such as shaking hands) with asymptomatic individuals. The likelihood of contracting any viral haemorrhagic fever (VHF), including Ebola, is considered very low unless there has been a specific exposure. Ebola transmission has commonly been between family members with close contact to infected individuals and health care workers with extremely close contact to patients or body fluids. Infection occurs from direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, or other body fluids (such as stool, urine, saliva, semen) of infected people. 
As with other infectious diseases, one of the most important preventive measures is frequent hand-washing with soap and water, or use alcohol-based hand rubs containing at least 60 percent alcohol when soap and water aren't available. However, it is important to remember that if hands are visibly soiled, then alcohol hand rubs are not sufficient and washing with soap and water is needed. 
When travelling abroad, it is important to take sensible precautions against the many more common health risks prevalent in the region, such as malaria, HIV and Hepatitis B. 
Further information can be found at: 
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ebola-virus/pages/ebola-virus.aspx 
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ebola-virus-disease-clinical- management-and-guidance 
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-ship-captains-medical-guide(see Chapter 5, causes and prevention of disease) 
Affected Countries (at time of issue) 
The following states have established transmission of the Ebola virus: Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia 
The following states have cases but no established transmission outside of the cluster of cases linked to a single imported case: 
Nigeria (Lagos and Port Harcourt), Senegal (Dakar), Spain (Madrid), USA (Dallas, TX.) 
Refer to the WHO website for further updates on the geographic extent of the outbreak: 
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/ebola/en/ 
Additional Sources of Information 
It is advisable to check FCO and local guidance and advice on avoiding infection during the current outbreak: 
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice 
Currently the World Health Organization (WHO) advises states with Ebola transmission should conduct exit screening of all persons at international airports, seaports and major land crossings, for unexplained febrile illness consistent with potential Ebola infection. The exit screening should consist of, at a minimum, a questionnaire, a temperature measurement and, if there is a fever, an assessment of the risk that the fever is caused by EVD. 
It is therefore recommended that the existing WHO procedures contained in their “Guidance for ships and shipping companies” should be followed. 
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Copies of the Guidance can be found in circular letters (Nos. 3484 & 3485) issued by the IMO, which are available through the IMO website (www.imo.org). These provide information and guidance, based on recommendations developed by WHO, on the precautions to be taken to minimize risks to seafarers, passengers and others in the maritime environment from the Ebola virus disease: 
http://www.imo.org/Documents/3484.pdf http://www.imo.org/MediaCentre/HotTopics/ebola/Documents/3485.pdf 
On-line Information 
Further information on dealing with the consequences of the outbreak, specifically aimed at the maritime industry, can be found on the following links: 
  •   The UK Chamber of Shipping have set up an information page about Ebola on their website:-http://www.ukchamberofshipping.com/news/2014/10/08/ebola-information/ 
  •   The ICS (International Chamber of Shipping), IMEC (International Maritime Employers’ Council), and the ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation) have issued a joint note on Ebola :- http://www.ics- shipping.org/docs/default-source/Other-documents/urgent-communication-on- the-risk-of-the-ebola-virus.pdf?sfvrsn=4 
  •   UK P&I Club have issued a practical guidance note for seafarers on Ebola, as well as other advice on contractual and ports issues:-http://www.ukpandi.com/fileadmin/uploads/uk- pi/LP%20Documents/UK_P_I_Club_Briefing_-_Ebola_Outbreak.pdf 
  •   The Swedish P&I Club have issued advice on Ebola for shippers, including dealing with stowaways:-http://www.safety4sea.com/swedish-club-issues- notice-re-ebola-virus-and-stowaways-21750 
  •   The WHO also have an updated Travel and Transport section, which is very helpful, especially the section 3.3 “Recommendations for ships” which provides guidance on managing suspected Ebola cases on board
    ships:- 
    http://www.who.int/ith/updates/20140421/en/ 
    If you think you may have been exposed to the Ebola virus: 
    If you think you have been exposed or if you develop symptoms consistent with Ebola (see links above), within 21 days of an exposure, call the NHS 111 helpline (if in the UK) or, if overseas, follow your company arrangements for seeking medical advice. 
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Comments

  1. Great post John on Ebola! It's funny: We just created an amazing Infographic on "Ebola Virus. What Is It? Interesting Facts" because we found people were missing the essential facts about Ebola.

    Check it out: www.BioMedicalWasteSolutions.com/What-Is-Ebola/

    Let me know what you think:)

    ReplyDelete

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