Page 23 - Navigator 2021

LIKE MUCH OF THE REST OF THE WORLD, GRONINGEN SE- APORTS WAS ALSO UNEXPECTEDLY CONFRONTED WITH COVID IN EARLY 2020. HARBOUR MASTER PIETER VAN DER WAL AND MATHIJS LAMMERTS OF THE OPERATIONS TEAM EXPLAIN HOW THE PORT OF DELFZIJL AND THE EEMSHAVEN WERE CONTI- NUOUSLY KEPT UP AND RUNNING IN CLOSE COOPERATION WITH ALL PARTIES INVOLVED.
To ensure that shipping traffic in Delfzijl and Eemshaven runs smoothly 24/7, Groningen Seaports has seven VTS operators in total. This suffices under normal conditions, but there is little wiggle room should any of them be indisposed. When corona hit in early 2020, it immediately set alarm bells ringing for the Harbour Master and his team. Measures were very quickly implemented to prevent infections and thus a domino effect in absenteeism amongst employees.
“Traffic is normally managed from the Nautical Service Centre in
the Groningen Seaports office in Delfzijl. However, we decided that
the VTS operators should no longer have physical shift changes anymore. In the Eemshaven, twenty kilometres to the north, we had
an emergency location that was not in use. Within 48 hours, we converted this into a fully-functioning second Nautical Service Centre, with everything that is needed for round-the-clock traffic management. From then on, one shift would start in Delfzijl, the next in Eemshaven and so on.” The VTS operators arranged their shift transfers by telephone whilst the supporting Operations Team commenced working from home. Lammerts: “The fact that we had just reorganised our IT six month prior definitely helped us in that respect.”
NOBODY ON OR OFF THE SHIP
And more was happening in those early days. For example, it became apparent that the giant crane vessel Saipem 7000, which was moored in the Eemshaven for maintenance in March 2020, had corona on board. Van der Wal: “This theoretically meant that all 350 crew members could be infected. We therefore created a lockdown
situation. No one was allowed on or off the ship. The Saipem 7000 was only cleared again after investigation by the regional health service (GGD) showed that there was no further risk of contamination.”
COLLABORATION IS KEY
Especially also in these times of corona, Van der Wal and Lammerts cherish the high degree of cooperation with Customs, the Royal Military Policy, the Dutch Maritime Pilots’ Organisation, shipping lines, agents and, representing the health care sector, the regional health service GGD. “At the heart of this is open and honest communication. For example, what do we do if a captain reports an infection on board in his mandatory Medical Declaration of Health that must be submitted 24 hours before arrival? We have made good agreements about this with each other and have always kept the lines of communication short for the exchange of data. With the Dutch Maritime Pilots’ Organisation, for example, about the pilotage of such ships. Collaboration is really key.”
To date, some 40 ships with a covid infection on board have entered Groningen Seaports. Not a single ship has been refused. “We individually discuss each ship with all parties involved. Once the ship has arrived, the GGD will analyse the symptoms and determine the necessary (quarantine) measures.” However, a ship has to sail as well. This sometimes leads to creative solutions on the part of stakeholders. “For example, one shipping company has rented holiday homes for its infected crew members.”
YOU DO NOT SAIL A SHIP ALONE
Since August 2021, all VTS activities have been taking place from Delfzijl again. However, Van der Wal and Lammerts do realise that corona is not yet over. The Harbour Master: “We are constantly updating our plans. But I think that the most important thing is that we have always operated as a team. You don’t sail a ship alone and the same applies to the nautical service provision of a port authority.”
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A second Nautical Service Centre within 48 hours