All ships that called at South Korean ports in the past 14 days will be boarded by health officers at the quarantine anchorage before they are allowed to berth at Philippine ports, according to the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA). This is part of measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
PPA general manager Atty. Jay Daniel Santiago, in a text message to PortCalls on March 3, said the ports authority will soon issue a notice “expanding the coverage of restrictions to include South Korea.”
The development comes after the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) ordered a temporary travel ban on any Filipino tourist going to South Korea, and on travelers from South Korea’s North Gyeongsang Province, including Daegu City and Cheongdo County.
South Korea has the highest number of COVID-19 cases outside of China, where the coronavirus was first detected December last year.
South Korea is one of the Philippines’ top sources of imported goods, ranking third in December 2019. In 2018, Philippine exports to South Korea reached $2.5 billion while imports from South Korea amounted to $11.2 billion.
PPA last month issued the prescribed management protocols for all its ports to prevent the spread of COVID-19 while also ensuring business continuity and reduced disruption of maritime trade and transport.
READ: PPA sets procedures for ships from China, territories
PPA Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 02-2020, dated and effective February 12, is in conjunction with relevant advisories issued by the BoQ, IAFT-EID, Bureau of Immigration, and other concerned government agencies regarding COVID-19.
MC 02-2020 applies to all arriving ships that have called at any port in China and its special administrative regions (SAR)—Hong Kong and Macau—and all arriving ships with crew and/or passengers who have travelled to China and its SARs in the past 14 days.
The order noted that all PPA ports remain open to all vessels, except cruise ships, that came from or made port calls in China, Macau, and Hong Kong, regardless of the 14-day incubation period of disease, provided they are boarded at quarantine anchorage.
Quarantine anchorage is an anchorage for ships waiting for “free pratique,” or the license given to a ship to enter a port on the assurance she is free of contagious diseases.
In addition, ships from China and its SARs that have been cleared at the first port of entry and are calling another local port within the 14-day incubation period must also be boarded at the designated quarantine anchorage by a quarantine maritime officer.
After the quarantine and boarding formalities, ships will be allowed to berth and discharge/load cargoes, but embarkation/disembarkation of crew will be strictly disallowed.
Ships calling in the Philippines more than 14 days after calling at a port in China and its SARs will be allowed to enter without restrictions.
MC 02-2020 also states that PPA regulations on the filing of Notice of Arrivals and Applications for Berth/Anchorage must be strictly complied with.
Port management offices (PMOs) and terminal management offices (TMOs) must receive the Maritime Declaration of Health, crew list/passenger list, current copy of Ship Sanitation Certificate, last five ports call list, Waste on Board Vessel Information Form, and other related documents, preferably 24 hours, but not less than eight hours, before vessel arrival, for encoding into PPA’s computer system.
Pilotage services will continue to be rendered, provided that no boarding will be made prior to the submission of free patique by the vessel’s master and clearance from the BoQ boarding team.
Garbage such as but not limited to food products, animal products and infectious wastes generated from the vessel will not be disposed of in PPA ports. Discharge of other wastes will comply with standard procedures for collection, transport, treatment and/or disposal in accordance with existing environment rules and regulations.
Terminal operators, ship operators, pilot associations, and concerned port service providers should adhere closely to the health advisories issued by BoQ and ensure compliance by personnel who will be involved in the ship’s loading and discharging cargoes. They should also ensure adequate supply of appropriate personal protection equipment and medical equipment, and undertake training to familiarize port personnel on their usage.
Areas in the port designated as “restricted/quarantined area” should be delineated as such with appropriate warning signs, markings, and appropriate security level in force; barriers; and access control points.
PMOs, TMOs, and terminal operators should establish a port security advisory committee which will coordinate, communicate, and facilitate implementation of acceptable safety and health measures at ports.
Terminal operators, cargo-handling operators, pilotage associations, and other local port stakeholders and industrial partners should continue to monitor the evolving measures and work closely with partner agencies like BoQ and the Department of Health, among others, to implement appropriate, effective, and additional measures, if needed.
As of March 2, there were almost 89,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in more than 60 countries, the World Health Organization said. – Roumina Pablo
Photo courtesy of PPA
