The Kenya Ports Authority on
Tuesday announced that they have seven confirmed cases of COVID-19 and out of
these, three are contracted cleaners working at the port.
Through a statement to newsrooms,
KPA also stated that it had lost two members of staff but the rest of the
patients are admitted at the Coast General Hospital.
As a result, the authority
announced a number of measures to curb the spread of the virus at the port:
Apart from setting up handwashing
points, KPA has also enabled an online cargo documentation process to ensure
customers clear cargo electronically.
The following measures have also
been introduced:
1. Mandatory Pre-arrival
Reporting on board must be undertaken at least 48 hours before the vessel
arrival in Kenya’s territorial waters. Masters of ships must, therefore, submit a
duly completed and compulsory Maritime Declaration of Health form to the Port
Health officer.
2. Masters shall regularly update
the Port Health Office on the health status of the crew on board.
3. All arriving vessels with
crew/passengers with recent travel history to countries with confirmed cases of
COVID-19 in the past 14 days must undergo special monitoring and Port Health must issue restricted pratique.
4. Every ship entering Kenya from
a country with confirmed cases of COVID-19 is subjected to rigorous inspection
in the designated location as directed by the Harbour Master in consultations
with the Port Health Office.
5. If at any time during a
vessel’s stay at port, any health risk is reported, a Port Health Officer shall
conduct assessments on a case by case basis to manage the risk and eliminate contamination
other crew port personnel and others
6. Crew/passengers with any of
these symptoms (fever, headache, joint and muscle pain, sore throat, diarrhea,
vomiting, stomach pain, cough or shortness of breathing) the Master must report
to the Port Health Office.
7. Crew/passengers of vessels
from confirmed COVID-19 countries will Not be granted shore passes. Only
Kenyans and foreigners with valid residence permits will be allowed to
disembark after presentation of Health Declaration forms and by the health
Authorities.
8. All visitors (dockworkers,
agents, surveyors, port state inspectors) to a ship from countries confirmed
with COVID-19 cases must be informed about the precautionary measures while on
board. It shall be prohibited for anyone to board a vessel before the
completion of the health inspection of the crew or passengers. All visitors to
use protective disposable masks and latex gloves while onboard and should
dispose them on board before disembarking in a special disposal bin.
9. Masters of all ships due to
arrive in a Kenyan port are required to declare their last 10 ports of call or
voyage memo for the last three months, whichever is higher, and confirm that
there is no crew showing symptoms of COVID-19 on board.
10. Ships agents, if possible, should
use alternative means of contacting the vessels instead of boarding the
vessels, so as to minimize potential contamination risk.
Stay informed. Subscribe to our newsletter
11. Ship crew change is
temporarily suspended until further notice. The exception is given to Kenyan
crew and persons with valid resident permits.
12. The Masters of vessels shall
be required to provide sanitizers at the ship's gangway for persons entering
and upon exit.
13. Garbage from vessels arriving
from confirmed COVID-19 countries will not be allowed to be discharged at any
Kenyan Port.
The Standard Group Plc is a
multi-media organization with investments in media platforms spanning newspaper
print operations, television, radio broadcasting, digital and online services. The
Standard Group is recognized as a leading multi-media house in Kenya with a key
influence in matters of national and international interest.
join