By Alan Healy
Marine vessels will be refused permission to dock in Irish ports until they have submitted a declaration of health as part of efforts to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
New rules from the Department of Transport mean all ships or their agents must supply a Maritime Declaration of Health (MDoH) to port companies when arriving into Cork, Shannon, Dublin and other ports.
The document will list all other ports the vessel has stopped in the previous 30 days along with the history of the crew.
In a notice to all mariners, the Cork Harbour Master Paul O'Regan said that prior to arrival and on initial VHF contact with Cork Harbour Radio, each vessel shall confirm verbally that the MDoH has been submitted as required.
If the document has not been submitted then vessels will not be allowed to dock and will instead be directed to an anchorage until the MDoH is submitted and reviewed.
Other measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus include regulations to protect maritime pilots when they board inbound and outbound vessels.
These include no physical contact with the pilot such as handshaking and keeping a recommended one-metre personal space during the pilotage transit.
Ships are also asked to ensure bridge surfaces, navigation equipment and VHF radios are cleaned with an appropriate disinfectant prior to the vessel arrival at the pilot boarding station.
Cruise liners entering Cork Harbour have already been issued with new guidelines to reduce the spread of the virus.
Local tourism ambassadors who regularly board cruise liners when they dock in Cobh will not board vessels until further notice. Tourism information will instead be emailed to the vessel directly.
Tour operators bringing cruise passengers to various attractions in the region are also asked to ensure all buses are sanitized prior to passengers boarding for day trips.
Image: Rosslare Habour
