With Port properties in West Seattle, you might wonder how the COVID-19 situation is affecting shipping. Here’s the latest update from the Northwest Seaport Alliance (the ports of Seattle and Tacoma):

During this COVID-19 pandemic, The Northwest Seaport Alliance remains committed to protecting the health of our community and employees. Working closely with the United States Coast Guard and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the NWSA continues to serve the needs of our customers as cargo-handling facilities remain operational. We are also following the CDC’s recommendations to prevent the spread of the virus.

“We are focused on maintaining the reliability of our gateway, reducing the potential of infections and positioning ourselves so that we can adjust in the event that further measures become necessary,” said NWSA CEO John Wolfe.

The CDC is the main federal response agency for maritime vessels. The U.S. Coast Guard has authority on commercial vessel traffic and crew members on board the vessels. Here’s the U.S. Coast Guard’s latest marine safety information update from March 9: https://bit.ly/2vgVEy9.

Vessels destined for a U.S. port are required to report to the CDC any sick or deceased crew/passengers during 15 days prior to arrival at the U.S. port.

Non-passenger commercial vessels that have been to China (excluding Hong Kong and Macau) or embarked crew members who have been in China (excluding Hong Kong and Macau) within the last 14 days, with no sick crew members, will be permitted to enter the U.S. and conduct normal operations, with restrictions. Crew members on these vessels will be required under captain of the port authority to remain aboard the vessel except to conduct specific activities directly related to vessel cargo or provisioning operations.

The NWSA and Washington state ports are in communication with each other and the United States Coast Guard through the USCG Area Maritime Security Committee (AMSC), which was established to be prepared for events such as this.

We have implemented daily enhanced cleaning protocols to prevent the spread of coronavirus at Port maritime and marine maintenance facilities including:

Providing hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes for self-cleaning of desks, equipment and NWSA vehicles.
Disinfecting frequently touched surfaces throughout facilities, including kitchens, handrails, doorknobs, offices, conference rooms and restrooms.

The Annual Breakfast, scheduled for March 25, 2020 has been postponed to a later date.

All non-essential domestic and international business travel for employees through April 15, 2020 has been suspended.

To increase physical distance among employees, the NWSA has implemented a flexible worksite policy for employees who are able to telework.