Shipping companies in and near New York are taking a varied approach to returning to office work as the Covid-19 pandemic eases, with one back since May 2020 and others not returning until this coming September.
Charles R Weber tanker brokerage, Greenwich, Connecticut: Workers have been back to the office since May 2020 under protocols that have resulted in no cases in the office, co-managing directors Christos Alexandrou and Christos Papanicolaou said.
Weber appointed a Covid “marshal” to oversee safety practices, which included the distancing of desks and quarantine for any employee who tested positive outside of work.
Penfield Marine, Fairfield, Connecticut: Chief executive Tim Brennan said the commercial manager and tanker pools operator is mostly working remotely but will return to the office on 7 September.
The office has been open since March, when Connecticut regulations allowed, but he said only between three and six of 24 local employees have been staffing it.
He added that glass dividers installed between desks will become a permanent feature.
“We were fortunate to have installed Microsoft Teams about three months before the pandemic to improve communications with the London office,” Brennan said. "We’ve also been cloud-based since 2012. Those things made the transition seamless.
“There are issues over the summer such as childcare, and it’s been working so well for us remotely that we just chose to continue it until September.”
International Seaways, Manhattan, New York: The diversified tanker owner is working mostly remotely in unique circumstances this summer as it moves forward with the all-stock acquisition of Connecticut-based Diamond S Shipping.
“Seaways is in a bit of a special situation because we are in the midst of full-on integration work, which is of top importance,” chief executive Lois Zabrocky said.
“Our team will continue to work from home until Labor Day [6 September], with the exception that our management and some team members meet in the office or off site for planning and strategy work.”
Genco Shipping & Trading, Manhattan, New York: The New York-listed dry bulk owner is planning a September return, according to chief executive John Wobensmith.
“We are officially returning the day after Labor Day,” he said.
