The operations of seaports are covered under Essential Services and are exempted from lockdown, so that all essential goods are made available to the public in a seamless manner. Some of the basic commodities handled by the Port include, Coal for thermal power generation, Petroleum products to cater to energy needs, edible oil and food grains and mission critical medical equipment etc. Bulk commodities and Container are handled through mechanised means and required minimum human intervention or working in large groups.
To keep the supply chain operating at this times of crisis and to serve the needs of the public in large, it is imperative that Port operations are continued. Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India had issued orders ( No.40-3/2020-DM-I-(A) dated 25th March 2020), Ministry of Shipping have issued orders (No14033/4/2020-PD-VII dated 24.03.2020), Directorate General of Shipping, Mumbai have issued Orders (No. 04 of 2020 date 20.03.2020), Highways and Minor Ports Department, Government of Tamilnadu has also issued orders (No.4 Prl. Secy/H&MP Dept., Dated 26.03.2020) which permit operation of Seaports, since they come under list of exempted & essential services essential / Activities. Also, necessary SOPs have been prescribed.
In order to ensure safe and effective Port operations, VOC Port is taking all precautionary measures by stringently following the instructions / SOPs received from time to time Ministry of Shipping, Government of India, Directorate General of Shipping, Mumbai, Government of Tamilnadu and the Standard Operating procedures issued by the Port Health Organization, Tuticorin, functioning Under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
As per the orders issued by DG (Shipping), Vessels arriving directly from any Port in China or transiting through Chinese Ports are allowed for berthing only after quarantine period of 14 days from the date of departure of the vessel from the Chinese Port.
Vessels arriving from Ports of other affected countries as identified by Ministry of Health and Family welfare, Government of India before 14 days of departure from the infected Port, or having seafarers embarked on the vessel who have been in infected regions within 14 days of arrival at any Indian port shall need to comply with additional measures including wearing of PPEs like N-95 masks, gloves etc. In addition, regular maritime PPE like shoes, helmet, working gloves etc. are to be worn as per the existing practices of the ports, Hand hygiene at all times to be practiced by all the operational staff and Disposal of PPE shall be as per the guidelines of MoHFW, Govt. of India.
All ships arriving from any of the Ports are mandated to produce prearrival documents like Maritime declaration of Health, Port of call list, crew list, Medical log copy, any shore medical visit or Radio medical advice or medical evacuation or sign off done in last 1 month, Ship sanitation exemption certificate / medicine chest certificate and International Health Regulations 2005- nCoV 2019- format by the Ship Agent prior to 72 hours of arrival to the Port Health Officer (PHO). Only after scrutiny of the above documents and screening procedures, clearance is granted by PHO and Customs and Immigration formalities are carried out for discharge of cargo operations by the Port. Moreover, no Crew disembarking is allowed and no shore passes are issued to crew members to prevent them from leaving the ship & to ensure safe operations.
The Port and Terminals are operating with only minimum number of essential employees as required to carry out Port operations. In addition, all employees performing the operational activities are provided with adequate protective gears and advised to observe appropriate health and hygiene practices.
In addition, the stakeholders of the Port like Customs, Immigration, Mercantile Marine Department, Terminal Operators, Shipping Agents, Stevedores, Container Freight Stations and Truck transport operators have also been advised to follow all SOPs and precautionary measures like maintaining social distancing, practice of Hygiene and Cough Etiquette and usage of Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs) and advisories issued time to time from Port Health Officer.
The Public are requested not to believe and spread any rumours by uninformed elements. The District Collector has also been requested to take appropriate action against those spreading rumours. Public are requested to co-operate to ensure that the essential goods reach in time and there are no shortages.
