A new service for DP World operating from London Gateway will open up more trading opportunities with India.
DP World London Gateway welcomed the new IEX service, Al Rawdah, on Monday 27th January.
The IEX service is the only shipping service linking the East Coast of India to the UK and opens up new trading opportunities for shippers in both the UK and India. With this new service, the number of direct services between the Indian sub-continent and London Gateway increases to three per week - more than any other port in the UK.
The new service provides customers with the only direct service from the East Coast of India to the UK. Previously the only option cargo owners had was to transship in Colombo, Sri Lanka with containers being offloaded from ships, stored on a yard, then reloaded on ships for the journey to the UK. The direct service provides enhanced security of cargo and preserves the integrity of the supply chain.
DP World’s Head of UK Ports, James Leeson, said:
“This is a strong endorsement of DP World London Gateway as a major global trading hub on key trade routes. It further underlines the tremendous opportunity we provide for our customers to realise game-changing value and accelerate their cargo deployments. Our proximity to the one of the largest consumer markets in Europe helps reduce costs and carbon emissions.”
Mr. Leeson continued:
“The new direct service to and from the East Coast of India is a welcome addition to our global network. DP World London Gateway ships to more countries than any other deep-sea port in the country.”
The new service which is a collaboration between COSCO, Hapag Lloyd, Yang Ming, ONE and OOCL, operates nine 6,500 TEU vessels on a weekly fixed rotation calling:
YOUTUBE LINK https://youtu,be/T3VxkJwAEqc 29th JANUARY 2020 OUTBOUND WEATHER - SUNNY WITH NOMINAL WESTERLY 17Kt - 28Kt WINDS IMO -9467263 TEU - 13300 BUILT - 2011 BY - SAMSUNG SHIPBUILDING & HEAVY INDUSTRIES, GEOJE, SOUTH KOREA. LENGTH / BEAM - 366mts x 51mts GT - 150853 FLAG - HONG KONG CALLSIGN - VRIL4 CURRENT DRAUGHT - 14.30mts LAST PORT OF CALL - ROTTERDAM / MAASVLAKTE NEXT ZEEBRUGGE
29th JANUARY 2020
YOUTUBE LINK - https://youtu.be/MU1jHs-rVkk
PORT OF FELIXSTOWE,SUFFOLK,UK.
INBOUND ON THE RIVER ORWELL FOR TRINTY BERTH 7
(07.50 - LT) WEATHER - SUNNY WITH NOMINAL WESTERLY WINDS AT 17Kts INCREASING TO 28Kts IMO-9350018 TEU - 6350 BUILT - 2007 BY - KOYO DOCKYARD CO LTD., MIHARA,JAPAN. LENGTH / BEAM - 293mts x 40mts GT - 71787 FLAG - LIBERIA CALLSIGN - A8NM5 CURRENT DRAUGHT - 10.90mts LAST PORT OF CALL - TANGER MED NEXT BREMERHAVEN
The ITF is closely following all advice from the World Health Organisation (WHO) regarding the current outbreak which originated in Wuhan city, a major domestic and international transport hub.
We call on all governments and transport companies to implement all measures available to them to limit the risk of transmission of the deadly coronavirus to transport workers globally. This is particularly important for airline, border, cruise workers, seafarers and port workers who are in the frontline of the outbreak.
WHO has advised governments to prepare for containment, including active surveillance, early detection, isolation, case management, contact tracing and prevention of the onward spread of infection.
Governments worldwide should immediately act and implement strict biosecurity protocols in airports and ports, including procedures to identify potentially infected passengers, crew and seafarers from areas of concern, to contain the outbreak and minimise any chance of exposure and safeguard workers from the deadly outbreak.
Airlines, airports, cruise line operators, shipping companies and port operators must provide workers with the latest information regarding the outbreak, follow best practice in regard to health and safety protocols and supply of personal protective equipment, put into effect procedures to identity symptomatic travellers, crew and/or workers, and set clear guidelines for workers managing suspected cases of infection.
Safe crewing and manning levels must be applied to ensure that crews have adequate rest in line with national legislation.
More detailed advice is provided below for aviation workers and airlines and for seafarers, dockers and the maritime industry. All of this advice is applicable to all workers and companies across all transport sectors.
Advice for airlines and aviation workers
Airlines should not restrict workers ability to protect themselves from exposure in any way, including:
Allowing airline crews and ground staff to wear protective equipment as desired – including rubber gloves and facemasks.
Allowing airline crews and ground staff time and adequate breaks to take all necessary precautions to protect themselves from exposure.
Should an aviation worker become infected, isolation at home should be prioritised, and the workers must continue to be paid appropriately.
Advice for crew members:
Encourage all onboard to practice hand and respiratory hygiene especially when coughing or sneezing.
Crew should use hand sanitiser/wash hands following contact with any passenger or other crew.
If on a layover in a country with a known coronavirus outbreak, crew are advised to remain in hotel accommodation as much as possible and practice hand and respiratory hygiene and safe food practices (see more below).
Ask the ill traveller where he/she has travelled in the last 21 days.
Call for medical support on the ground or medical assistance on board and follow their advice.
If possible, try to isolate the ill traveller and relocate the adjacent passengers. If no seats are available, consider giving masks to the adjacent passengers.
Designate one cabin crew member to look after the ill traveller.
Designate a specific lavatory for the exclusive use of the ill traveller.
Request the passenger or crew member use a face mask and replace as needed.
Encourage the passenger to practice hand and respiratory hygiene:
Provide tissues and advise traveller to cover their mouth and nose when speaking, sneezing or coughing.
Advise the ill traveller to practice proper hand hygiene.
Provide an airsickness bag to be used for the safe disposal of the tissues.
Crew should stay one metre or more away from the ill passenger unless wearing appropriate protective equipment.
If touching the ill passenger is required crew should wear appropriate protective equipment.
All soiled items (tissues, masks, blankets etc.) should be stored in a biohazard bag if available, if not seal in plastic bag and label it ‘biohazard’.
Ask accompanying traveller(s) if they have any similar symptoms.
Advise the captain to report the suspected case(s) to air traffic control and local public health authorities.
Unless advised otherwise by health officials, ask all travellers seated in the same row, 2 rows in front and 2 rows behind the sick traveller to complete a passenger locator form if available.
Advice for the maritime industry, seafarers and dock workers
Much of the advice for aviation workers is relevant for the workers on cruise ships and across the maritime industry and transport industry more broadly.
Do not restrict embarkation/disembarkation of seafarers in non-affected ports
Do not restrict necessary ship visits by port agents, chaplains, service personnel and others.
Do not visit food markets in China and avoid provision of fish and poultry in China.
Do not consume raw eggs, milk, meat.
Observe strict food hygiene to avoid cross contamination
Ensure facial protection is provided for all crew (5 pieces /per person)
Provide influenza vaccination, alcohol-based hand sanitiser and facial protection for ship inspectors and other crew who travel to China.
If a crew member on board falls sick and has been travelling to affected areas 2-12 days before embarkation, the person must stay in his/her cabin.
If a crew member is sick on board a ship, fill out the maritime declaration of health and notify the relevant port authority and consult a healthcare providers in the next port.
Ways to protect yourself and others from coronavirus
There is currently no vaccine to prevent Corona virus infection, the best way to protect yourself from infection is to avoid being exposed to this virus.
Following advice from the UN lists everyday habits that can help prevent the spread of the virus:
Frequently wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser.
Cover your mouth and nose with a flexed elbow or tissue when sneezing or coughing.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
Avoid close contact with anyone who has a fever or cough.
Stay at home if you are sick.
Seek early medical help if you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, and share their travel history with healthcare providers.
Avoid direct, unprotected contact with live animals and surfaces in contact with animals when visiting live markets in affected areas.
Avoid eating raw or undercooked animal products and exercise care when handling raw meat, milk or eggs to avoid cross-contamination.
ITF will provide further updates as appropriate. Keep up to date with WHO advice on their website.
29th JANUARY 2020 YOYTUBE LINK :- https://youtube.be/zWi0-9qi2W4 PORT OF FELIXSTOWE, SUFFOLK, UK. INBOUND ON THE RIVER ORWELL FOR A TRINITY BERTH WEATHER - SUNNY WITH NOMINAL WINDS THROUGHOUT THE DAY OF 17Kts - 28Kts IMO - 9778545 TEU - 3600 BUILT - 2018 BY - COSCO, ZHOUSHAN SHIPYARD, CHINA. LENGTH / BEAM - 200mts x 35mts GT - 34882 FLAG - DENMARK CALLSIGN - OWAO2 CURRENT DRAUGHT - 8.40mts LAST PORT OF CALL - BREMERHAVEN NEXT KOTKA
HIghways England were questioned on plans for the Orwell Bridge, Ipswich. Picture: ARCHANT
Reduced speed limits for the Orwell Bridge during high winds are set to be in place by next winter, highways chiefs have pledged.
Simon Amor, head of planning and development at Highways England, told Ipswich Borough Council's scrutiny committee on Thursday that a 40mph speed limit would raise the closure threshold to 70mph winds - instead of the current 50mph winds which force the bridge to be shut.
Crucially, it would have meant that 15 of the 18 wind closures since October 2013 would not have happened.
"There are also statutory processes - we cannot just put a 40mph speed limit on there, we have to do that legally. We just need to clear that but I am relatively positive that is [achievable]."
It is understood the existing average speed cameras could be used to enforce speed limits.
But while the option of reduced speed limits looks likely for the end of 2020, adding windbreaks to the existing parapets and the ability to separate high-sided vehicles appear to have stalled.
Mr Amor said: "We are looking at the impact of the existing parapets.
"We have pretty much discounted bolting anything to the existing parapets because the bridge is over a kilometre long, if we put anything on top of the parapets that in itself is a massive structure [which adds weight issues].
"What we want to do is see how much shielding the existing parapets can give."
He said separating high-sided vehicles "is not something we would totally discount but it's probably a very unlikely solution to the problems".
He added: "How you physically do that, separate vehicles out? The police haven't got the resources to do that, Highways England haven't got the resources to do that, where we stack the vehicles, welfare for drivers.
"It's not quite as simple as it sounds."
READ MORE: Reaction to Highways England Orwell Bridge report Highways England said it understood the frustration motorists in Ipswich had when the bridge closed and that finding a solution remained a "number one priority" for the East of England.
However it urged the public to have faith in the ongoing work, and said the bridge was not an Achilles Heel but an asset for the town.
Councillor Sandra Gage, vice-chairman of the committee raised fears that the town was "no further forward after waiting over 15 months" for the report, with "zero commitments to deliver any improvements".
The first month of 2020 has seen numerous threats to free trade and the flow of cargo around the world, including escalating tensions between the US and Iran and Brexit.
Among these is the coronavirus, the virus which as of 29 January 2020 has killed 132 people. There are currently 6,000 reported cases, more than the entire SARS outbreak in 2002-2003.
How has coronavirus affected shipping?
China is the most powerful nation in the maritime world, being home to seven of the ten busiest ports on Earth and, in COSCO, the third largest container shipping line.
Therefore, it is almost impossible for shipping to escape and knock-on effects down the global supply chain are inevitable.
The Chinese government extended the Lunar New Year holiday to 2 February in an attempt to stop virus spreading within China itself. It also quarantined the city of Wuhan where the virus originated.
In Shanghai, home to the world’s busiest container shipping port, the holiday will be extended even further to 9 February.
Port of Shanghai
The International Maritime Organization (IMO), when contacted by Port Technology International (PTI), said its advice mirrored that from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
WHO advises that “with information currently available measures to limit the risk of exploitation or importation of the disease should be implemented, without unnecessary restrictions to international traffic.”
By not advising against direct travel restrictions, the IMO has allowed for trade in and out of China to continue, a position welcomed by the International Chamber of Shipping.
In a statement released on 28 January 2020, Guy Platten, the Secretary General of ICS said: “The shipping industry will always prioritise the health of our crew and members of the public above all else.
“We have recommended that all our members across the world follow the WHO measures. As an industry, we fully understand the importance of playing our role in halting the spread of viruses.
“By implementing the measures in their entirety, we are avoiding the needless closure of any port.
“Shipping can continue to be the conduit for 90% of world trade, ensuring the steady supply of medicine, food and fuel for consumers worldwide.
“We are thankful that the WHO has avoided a knee jerk reaction, which would do nobody any favours.”
The International Maritime Health Association (IMHA) has gone further and given direct advice relating to shippers and their crew.
Some of this advice includes, but is not limited to, restricting embarkation or disembarkation of seafarers in non-affected ports, coopering fully with port agents and providing strict influenza vaccinations, alcohol-based hand rub and facial protection to employees who travel to China.
In addition, the IMHA also urges anyone who falls ill on board a ship to remain in their cabin and see a doctor as soon as they reach port. This advice is accurate as of 29 January 2020.
Some of the biggest stakeholders in the industry have set out plans to protect employees from the virus.
It was reported by Reuters on 28 January 2020 that DP World, which operates three terminals in mainland China, had suspended all staff travel to the country until further notice.
A.P. Moeller-Maersk, the largest container shipping line in the world, issued an advisory on 29 January 2020 that all operations on mainland China would be unchanged and continue to follow the aforementioned notice given by the Chinese government on the Lunar New Year holiday.
On 24 January 2020, the Maritime Port Authority Singapore (MPA), the body in charge of the Port of Singapore, China’s biggest trade partner, began screening all seafaring visitors.
While the initial reaction may be precautionary, the biggest impact of all be seen on the Chinese economy, which usually gets a boost of $145 billion from the Lunar New Year. With fewer people shopping, it is yet to be seen how much it stands to lose from the coronovirus outbreak.
Where is Wuhan?
Wuhan is not one of the major Chinese ports, in fact it is landlocked, the nearest seaport – Ningbo – being almost a thousand kilometers away on the East China Sea.
However, it does have an inland river port and is able to handle seagoing vessels of up to 10,000 dead weight tonnage, roughly equivalent to 1,000 TEU, at one time.
The Port of Wuhan is the largest port in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze river and one of China’s best performing river hubs.
In 2019 it carried one million TEU for the first time, thanks largely to its efforts in “new developing routes” and “introducing new shipping companies”.
The Wuhan Group, the body that runs the port, has been contacted by PTI for comment on its operations and advice in relation to coronavirus. However it is yet to respond.
Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people. Detailed investigations found that SARS-CoV was transmitted from civet cats to humans and MERS-CoV from dromedary camels to humans. Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans.
Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.
Standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing.
