The Singapore-based maritime technology start-up which provides online maritime security booking and risk assessments has in the space of a few days integrated COVID-19 related information into its platform.
“We now include constantly updated CDC Threat levels, Air Travel and Port State Authority restrictions in the platform to help ship managers quickly assess where they can both disembark their personnel and fly them home,” said Nick Clarke ceo of Greywing.
With an estimated 100,000 crew changes a month by the end of May there could be some 400,000 seafarers in need of crew changes which have been made extremely difficult, if not impossible, given new restrictions at many ports designed to stop the spread of COVID-19. With difficulties in assessing which vessels are high or low risk in terms of infection the answer has simply been to bar all crew changes.
“Our next job is to build a risk assessment tool to categorise which ships are at low risk of having COVID-19 on board to help their managers and Port State Authorities facilitate crew changes,” Clarke said.
