Suspension of shore leave for foreign nationals

17 Mar 2020 / Walvis Bay, Namibia

In regard to the current worldwide Covid-19 outbreak, timely safety measures and preventive action by the Port of Walvis Bay are to be implemented with immediate effect.

The master of a vessel within the area of Namport’s jurisdiction shall at all times be responsible for the safety of such vessel, and nothing in these regulations shall be construed as relieving the master of such responsibility.

Implementation of the following measures to be noted:

  1. As agreed with the Port health Officer and other relevant government authorities, crew shore leave is suspended until further notice.
  2. Shore leave will only be granted on medical reasons and the patient will be subjected to Covid-19 screening procedures by Port Health before being granted shore leave.
  3. This restriction serves to contain the spread of the disease.
  4. This action is also considered in the best interest of the safety of foreign crew due to current heightened levels of tension and anxiety in town.
  5. No crew changes are allowed within port limits.
  6. Any vessel with sick crew member is required to notify Port Health cellphone: 0812339828, and Port Captain: 0811279259

Any failure to comply with the above measures will lead to the vessel being required to vacate berth immediately.

(For further details and updates, as well as information about operations in Namibia, contact GAC Namibia at [email protected])

Source: Namibian Ports Authority Memorandum dated 15 March 2020

If quoting any content from Hot Port News, please cite GAC Hot Port News as the source.