As part of COVID-19 safety the US has introduced new safety requirements in the maritime transportation system. This requires all persons, including crew members on board ships proceeding to and trading within the waters under US jurisdiction to wear a face mark while boarding, disembarking and for the duration of the travel. Crew members and port facility personnel may be exempt from wearing a mask only when actively performing a task that would create a health or safety risk if performed wearing a mask and should immediately wear a mask when the task is complete. This exemption does not apply to passengers.
Knowing the depth and shape of the seafloor (bathymetry) is fundamental for our understanding of ocean circulation, tides, sediment transport and environmental change. Currently, and despite many years of effort, less than 20 per cent of the ocean seafloor has been mapped. Therefore, BIMCO supports the Seabed 2030 initiative and encourages the industry to contribute with input into the project via an online survey.
A working group focusing on vaccinations within the shipping industry supports seafarers being vaccinated using WHO EUL approved vaccines provided by appropriate agencies in Member States.
BIMCO has joined the Neptune Declaration on Seafarer Well-being and Crew Change, and was encouraged to see the first publication from the Together in Safety initiative. The initiatives signal the need for increased collaboration in the face of great challenges.
RightShip and INTERCARGO have today announced the launch of an important new quality standard for the dry bulk sector, DryBMS. The standard will be governed by a new NGO to be established later this year and will support the improvement of safety in the dry bulk segment.
The BIMCO Shipping KPI System is a global shipping industry tool for defining, measuring and reporting information on operational performance and is used by shipping companies to: