China has slapped crew change bans of up to 30 days on nine ship managers after it detected a number of Covid-19 outbreaks among crew.
The bans, which range between 15 and 30 days, have been applied to a total of 302 ships operated by the nine named companies, including vessels managed by TW Ship Management, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement Hong Kong, Navios Tanker Management, Hongxin Ship Management, Technomar Shipping and Shanghai Dingheng Shipping Technology.
These ships are not prevented from calling at Chinese ports, but are unable to carry out crew changes there.
In some cases the bans have already expired, or are due to expire by 5 August.
An announcement by the National Immigration Administration, General Administration of Customs and Ministry of Transport, claimed the ship managers had demonstrated inadequate risk control.
The administration said vessels under the management of these companies had made frequent calls to India, which has recently seen a dramatic rise in Covid-19 infections.
The notification cited instances of crew infections on a number of vessels calling at Chinese ports as the reason for the ban.
The vessels included the 5,888-teu containership OOCL Antwerp (built 2006), the 53,000-dwt bulker Besiktas M (built 2003), the 297,400-dwt tanker Nave Photon (built 2008), and the 23,000-dwt bulker Huangyan Spirit (built 2013).
“A number of crew members tested positive for Covid-19, which revealed that the ship and its shipping company have failed to effectively perform the coronavirus epidemic prevention and control responsibilities, and preventive measures are not in place,” the government agencies said in a notice.
The notice said further bans would be put in place if more crew tested positive for Covid-19.
It said it urged shipping companies to “effectively fulfil their responsibilities for the prevention and control of the coronavirus”.
Managers at Bernhard Schulte said the company had not received any official notification of the ban from the Chinese government, but had seen it on a media platform.
The ship manager last carried out a crew change in China during June.
Shanghai and Qingdao are understood to be the only major Chinese ports currently allowing crew changes.
