Download the EU SHIPSAN ACT JA - Newsletter: Issue 11 in .pdf format
Editorial
Dr Carmen Varela Martinez, Spain
Dear readers,
In this issue you can find an article related to chemical incidents at port. Civil Protection authorities have an important role on the management of chemical accidents. At European level, civil protection activities are carried out mainly through the European Commission's Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO). In 2001, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism was established, fostering cooperation among national civil protection authorities across Europe. The Mechanism currently includes 31 countries: all 28 EU Member States in addition to Iceland, Norway, and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The Mechanism was set up to enable coordinated assistance from the participating states to victims of natural and man-made disasters both inside and outside Europe. The operational hub of the Mechanism is the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC).
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/en
I wish you a merry Christmas and a wonderful season filled with the people and traditions that mean the most. I hope that the New Year brings SHIPSAN and all of us new possibilities.
News from the leadership
Prof Christos Hadjichristodoulou, SHIPSAN ACT Joint Action Coordinator
Dr Barbara Mouchtouri, SHIPSAN ACT Joint Action Manager
EU SHIPSAN ACT Joint Action progress
The EU SHIPSAN ACT partnership has expanded to include the Centre of Maritime Health and Society, University of Southern Denmark as a collaborating partner and is now consisted of 32 institutions from 24 countries.
The partnership during the latest Interim Collaborative meeting and General Assembly meeting (see News and forthcoming dates’ section for further details) approved the work plan for the second half of the Joint Action and took important decision on how to proceed in terms of the sustainability of the project. Moreover, the partnership decided the establishment of an ad-hoc working group for Ebola Virus Disease in relation to maritime transport to provide advice to port health authorities and to the shipping industry. The task of the working group will be to prepare a questions and answers section on the SHIPSAN ACT website to provide evidence based answers to frequently asked questions and inquiries from EU Member States and the shipping industry.
In the forthcoming months, all partners will continue the implementation of the activities according to the contract schedule and additional activities will be implemented: The partnership will explore the possibility for future funding and will finalise the sustainability/exit plan of the Joint Action enhancing at the same time the efforts for the legal basis development.
A revision of the European Manual for Hygiene Standards and Communicable Disease Surveillance will be conducted. A Terms of Reference will be developed describing the revision process. The General Assembly members agreed to conduct a major review but minor revision of the manual. The new EU legislation will be incorporated, as well as revised guidance published (e.g. European Working Group for Legionella Infections) or other code of practice. The feedback from the evaluation of inspections will also be considered in the revision of the manual.
The EU SHIPSAN ACT will continue the collaboration with the Advanced National Networks for Administrations (AnNa) project (http://www.annamsw.eu/) in various aspects in relation to the National Single Window.
Moreover, the partnership will organise synchronous e-learning via webinars every 1-2 months inviting experts to present using interactive tools.
Summary of the Interim Evaluation Report
All activities implemented in the framework of the Joint Action (month 1 to 19) were evaluated and the interim evaluation report was produced. Questionnaires were disseminated to the associated and collaborating partners and to port health officers. The response rate was almost 73%. Most responders rated the majority of the EU SHIPSAN ACT activities and reports as very good or excellent.
The key points of the results are summarised below.
Indicators showed a good level of performance and achievement. No significant problems were noted in the first 19 months of the EU SHIPSAN ACT Joint Action. The majority of the partners were satisfied with coordination and management, dissemination of activities and documents related to milestones and deliverables. The evaluation results of EU SHIPSAN ACT activities (e.g. working group meetings, training courses and pilot inspections) were highly rated by participants. Evaluation of pilot inspections and training showed improvement in knowledge and performance of participants. Indicators showed a good level of performance and achievement.
As part of the external evaluation, an anonymised qualitative evaluation of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to SHIPSAN ACT was conducted. Based on the results, useful suggestions for sustainability were revealed such as: EU legislation and code of practice in the area of ship inspection, translations of the manual for all EU Member States, appointment of an “EU-SHIPSAN country-leader” in each Member State, and organization of an open, annual general meeting to present results of the inspections, achievements and the future development and plans of the activities.
Thematic Sections
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), 2014
Martin Walker, Port Health Officer, Suffolk Coastal Port Health Authority, Felixstowe, England
Key Messages: Ebola may be making the headlines but we shouldn’t forget the risk of other emerging public health threats such as MERS-CoV. MERS-CoV is not yet a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) but is subject to regular assessment by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Introduction
Dr. Martin Dirksen-Fischer’s article in issue 8 of the SHIPSAN ACT newsletter,
http://www.shipsan.eu/Home/Newsletter/TabId/113/ArtMID/542/ArticleID/61/EU-SHIPSAN-ACT-JA---Newsletter-Issue-8.aspx#Watching_the_media_concerning_MERS8
highlighted means of tracking ongoing news about MERS and other potential public health risks via MediSys. A summary of what MERS-CoV is, the current international position and what precautions are advised should be useful to readers. Unlike Ebola, MERS-CoV has not yet been declared as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organization (WHO). The situation is being monitored closely by an IHR Emergency Committee of WHO whose meeting details can be found at http://www.who.int/ihr/ihr_ec_2013/en/
The Virus
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is part of a large family of viruses known as coronaviruses. These viruses range from the common cold to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The strain of coronavirus that causes MERS-CoV was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012.
Typical symptoms of MERS-CoV can include coughs, shortness of breath and fever. Gastrointestinal symptoms have also been reported and severe illness can result in respiratory failure. Current fatality levels are around 36.4%1. People can be infected with MERS-CoV and not show symptoms.
How do people get MERS-CoV?
This is not exactly clear yet. The principle route appears to be around contact with/handling animals or animal products with antibodies for MERS CoV found in camels across Africa and the Middle East. Person to Person infection appears possible (though not easily) with close contact. There have been clusters of cases reported in health care facilities suggesting that this may be a more efficient route if proper infection prevention and control practices are not practiced.
Reducing the risk of contracting MERS-CoV
With respect to our readership, the most pertinent advice is as follows. WHO advises2 against eating raw or undercooked animal products, including milk and meat. Proper cooking or pasteurisation should render meat and milk safe for human consumption with respect to MERS-CoV. Particular care needs to be paid to avoiding cross contamination with uncooked foods. Persons considered to be at high risk of severe disease from MERS‐CoV infection should avoid close contact with animals, particularly camels, when visiting farms, markets, or barn areas where the virus is known to be potentially circulating. General hygiene measures, such as regular hand washing before and after touching animals and avoiding contact with sick animals, should be adhered to.
Good food hygiene practices should be observed. People should avoid drinking raw camel milk or camel urine, or eating meat that has not been properly cooked. SHIPSAN TRAINET Manual3 references 3.4.24 & 3.4.27 and WHO Technical Handbook for Ship Inspection4 references 2.4.2 & Area 2 Appendix 2 particularly apply here to general preparation of meat for consumption.
Anyone working in the Medical Facilities will need to be aware that the non-specific clinincal fatures of MERS-CoV mean that certain standard precautions should be taken. The United States Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends gloves, gowns, eye protection (goggles and face shield) and respiratory protection to be worn by healthcare personnel.5 Detailed advice for infection prevention and control for respiratory infections in health care has also been published by WHO.6 The SHIPSAN TRAINET Manual3 also provides detailed guidance for the control of influenza like illnesses in Part B Guideline A3.
Advice for Points of Entry
Following detection of imported cases in Europe, transmission chains have been very limited and appropriate infection control and contact tracing methods appear to be effective in limiting further transmission in a European setting with export cases having been reported in France, Germany, Greece, Italy and the U.K. Therefore the current risk of human infections and sustainable human-to-human transmission in Europe remains low7. Current MERS-CoV cases are focussed primarily around the Arabian peninsula. Advice from WHO2 to Points of Entry can include the following:
1 Routine measures need to be in place to assess ill travellers detected on board ships
2 Advise returning travellers from the Middle East that if they develop severe acute respiratory illness within 2 weeks of their return to seek immediate medical attention and notify their local health authority
3 Alert practitioners and facilities to the possibility of MERS-CoV infection in returning travellers from the Middle East and the need for subsequent laboratory testing plus infection control and prevention in the event of clinical symptoms being presented.
Use of the Maritime Declaration of Health
As with all cases of illness on board vessels, the submission of the Maritime Declaration of Health (MDH) may be required by countries under the International Health Regulations 2005 Article 37. Masters and ships doctors need to be aware of the particular requirements of each state party as to when an MDH needs to be sent to the point of entry or else err on the side of caution and send one in the event of any case of illness on board ship.
References:
1
http://www.who.int/csr/don/07-november-2014-mers/en/
2
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/coronavirus_infections/faq/en/
3
http://www.shipsan.eu/Portals/0/docs/Manual_October_2011.pdf
4
http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2011/9789241548199_eng.pdf?ua=1
5
http://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/mers/infection-prevention-control.html
6
http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/112656/1/9789241507134_eng.pdf?ua=1
7 European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Severe respiratory disease associated with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) –16 October 2014. Stockholm: ECDC; 2014
Chemical incidents at port
By the Public Health England, Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, UK
The maritime sector supports the movement of cargo and passengers globally. Estimates suggest that that around 2200 hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) with a bulk trade of 165 million tonnes are carried regularly per year worldwide. (ARCOPOL 2012).
A review of chemical spills at sea commissioned by the Centre of Documentation, Research and Experimentation on Accidental Water Pollution (Cedre) found that during the period of 1973 and 2008, 49 incidents occurred within European waters and in other parts of the world. The majority of these chemical incidents occurred at sea, during sailing and the accidents that occurred were linked to adverse weather conditions. Only 10 out of the 49 incidents were found to have occurred around ports and only 4 of these occurred at European ports (France, Germany and Spain) (Cedre: Mamaca, 2009).
Two incidents that occurred at European ports (France and Germany) were the result of accidental exposures to hazardous chemicals that were being transported in packaged form on shipping vessels. In 1947 the Liberty Ship Ocean Liberty carrying 3158 tonnes of ammonium nitrate (an agricultural fertiliser that is soluble in water and highly explosive when heated) caught fire while docked at Brest Harbour in France. The fire resulted in small explosions and although rescuers tried hard to tackle the fires, a large explosion occurred that was felt within a 60km radius. The explosion had a devastating effect on the surrounding areas, killing 26 people, injuring hundreds more and destroyed around 50000 houses and buildings in the nearby areas (Cedre, 1999, Cedre: Mamaca, 2009).
In 1989 the 14 crew members of the Dutch cargo Oostzee ran into a storm while sailing from Rotterdam to Saint Petersburg. The crew became exposed to the hazardous fumes released from some of the 3900 badly stowed drums containing the chemical epichlorhydrin (a highly flammable and carcinogenic chemical) after some of the drums were thrashed around during the storm resulting in the leakage of the chemicals. The ship was towed to a quiet port by the relevant authorities and the drums were unloaded and made safe to prevent further exposures. The affected members of the crew were hospitalised for 10 days however they had to undergo long term monitoring owing to cancer causing properties of the chemical. Several crew members later developed cancer and some of them died soon after. It is not clear from the report however whether the affected crew members all died of the same cancers (Cedre, 1999, Cedre: Mamaca, 2009).
These incidents highlight the importance of governing regulations at national and international levels (e.g. International Health Regulations, (WHO, 2008) and EU Decision on Cross border threats to health 1082/2013/EU (EC, 2013)) and international conventions (e.g. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UN, 1982); International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (IMO, 1974) as amended and the Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution from Ships (MARPOL, 1973/78) to govern the safe carriage of chemicals by sea.
An example of an international standard produced by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) includes the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG Code) and IMO Circular 1216 (MSC.1/Circ. 1216) which provides recommendations for the safe transport of dangerous cargoes and related activities in port areas, adopted by the IMO Maritime Safety committee (IMO, 2007). IMO circular 1216 makes specific recommendations to safeguard against potential chemical or radiological incidents that may occur around port areas.
The above governing legislations and Conventions have put in place the provisions for competent authorities at national and international levels to ensure that the appropriate procedures and responsibilities are upheld in the event of such incidents to prevent and mitigate the risks to public health that may occur in the event of a chemical incident at sea or at port.
References
CEDRE. 1999. Chemical spills at sea - Case studies presented by France Eleventh meeting of the contracting parties - Brest: 29 September - 1 October 1999. Bon Agreement for Cooperation in dealing with pollution of hte North Sea by oil and harmful substances. [Online]. Available: http://www.bonnagreement.org/eng/html/recentincidents/chemical_spills.htm# [Accessed 1/11/2014 2014].
CEDRE: MAMACA, E. G., M.; LE FLOCH, S.; EL ZIR, R. 2009. Review of Chemical Spills at Sea and Lessons Learnt. A technical appendix to the Interspill 2009 Conference White paper "are HNS spills more dangerous than oil spills?" Compiled by Cedre from Bonn Agreement and Helcom reports and other miscellaneous sources. [Online]. Available: http://hnsconvention.org/Documents/lessons.pdf [Accessed 4/11/2014 2014].
EC 2013. DECISION No 1082/2013/EU OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 22 October 2013 on serious cross-border threats to health and repealing Decision No 2119/98/EC. OJ.
IMO. 1974. International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) [Online]. [Accessed 6 May 2014.
IMO. 2007. REVISED RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE SAFE TRANSPORT OF DANGEROUS CARGOES AND RELATED ACTIVITIES IN PORT AREAS [Online]. Available: http://www.imo.org/blast/blastDataHelper.asp?data_id=18089&filename=1216.pdf [Accessed 8/7/2014 2014].
MARPOL. 1973/78. International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships, 1973 as modified by the Protocol of 1978 [Online]. [Accessed 4/11/2014 2014].
UN. 1982. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of [Online]. Available: http://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/convention_overview_convention.htm [Accessed 9/7/2014 2014].
WHO 2008. International Health Regulations (2005), Geneva, Switzerland, World Health Organization.
People from the project
Antonis Kantonis, Cyprus
My name is Antonis Kantonis and I am from Cyprus. I was born on the 12th of November 1974.
I have successfully completed a three year Diploma in Public Health Inspectors of THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF HEALTH. Then I proceeded with my studies and I have been awarded with the degree of Bachelor of Science (BSc Hons) in Public and Environmental Health (UNIVERCITY OF SURREY).
In 2002 I started working as a Health Officer in the Ministry of Health of Cyprus. In 2005 I was transferred to Limassol Port and I am responsible for inspecting ships and issuing Ship Sanitation Certificates according to International Health Regulations-2005.
Moreover, I am in charge of official controls on certain foods of non- animal origin from non- EU countries.
From 2009 until now I represent the Ministry of Health of Cyprus (Collaborating Partner) in the SHIPSAN TRAINET PROJECT & SHIPSAN ACT JOINT ACTION as a Port Health Officer.
I am pleased to be involved in the EU SHIPSAN PROJECTS and I am looking forward to new successes.
Dirk Van Reusel, Belgium
My name is Dirk Van Reusel. Born a long time ago, in 1956, in Belgium. I am married, have three grown up children and a lovely grandson.
In Belgium the Port Health Authority is known as Saniport and is split up in Saniport Air and Saniport Sea. I joined Saniport Sea in Antwerp in 1986, at that time our main task was looking for rats and issuing deratting certificates. I soon got convinced that the inspecting of ships needs a European approach.
In 2010, I became chief of our fantastic Belgian Saniport Sea Team and therefore I could participate at the SHIPSAN training for health inspectors in 2011 in Pireaus. So I found out that there was a European approach: SHIPSAN. Since then we fully support the SHIPSAN ACT Joint Action.
We are with six Port Health Inspectors and each year we issue more SSCEC, in 2013 more than 1.300 certificates. Also water sampling is a growing task.
Recent Publications
Review of interdisciplinary devices for detecting the quality of ship ballast water.
Bakalar G.
Springerplus. 2014 Aug 26;3:468. doi: 10.1186/2193-1801-3-468. eCollection 2014.
Abstract
The results of the ship ballast water treatment systems neutralization need to be verified in a transparent and trustful way before the ship enters a port. Some researches and results, explained in this article, confirm a need for a good verification. If there is no good methodology agreed, then it would not be accepted the solution that the BWMC (Ballast Water Management Convention) 2004 did protect the sea environment in full meaning. The main problem of ballast neutralization are remaining microorganisms (algae blooms, bacteria) ≥10 and <50. Autonomy of the future ballast water detection device has been explained and newest detection methods analyzed. The ranking analysis has been done thru PROMETHEE II (Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluations) and results were shown by D-Sight software projections.
Development of a risk-based prioritisation methodology to inform public health emergency planning and preparedness in case of accidental spill at sea of hazardous and noxious substances (HNS)
Harold, P.D., de Souza, A.S., Louchart, P., Russell, D., Brunt, H.
Environment International. Volume 72, November 01, 2014, Pages 157-163
Abstract
Hazardous and noxious chemicals are increasingly being transported by sea. Current estimates indicate some 2000 hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) are carried regularly by sea with bulk trade of 165. million. tonnes per year worldwide. Over 100 incidents involving HNS have been reported in EU waters. Incidents occurring in a port or coastal area can have potential and actual public health implications. A methodology has been developed for prioritisation of HNS, based upon potential public health risks. The work, undertaken for the Atlantic Region Pollution Response programme (ARCOPOL), aims to provide information for incident planning and preparedness. HNS were assessed using conventional methodology based upon acute toxicity, behaviour and reactivity. Tonnage was used as a proxy for likelihood, although other factors such as shipping frequency and local navigation may also contribute. Analysis of 350 individual HNS identified the highest priority HNS as being those that present an inhalation risk. Limitations were identified around obtaining accurate data on HNS handled on a local and regional level due to a lack of port records and also political and commercial confidentiality issues. To account for this the project also developed a software tool capable of combining chemical data from the study with user defined shipping data to be used by operators to produce area-specific prioritisations. In conclusion a risk prioritisation matrix has been developed to assess the acute risks to public health from the transportation of HNS. Its potential use in emergency planning and preparedness is discussed.
News and forthcoming dates
SHIPSAN past events
The Interim Collaborative Group meeting and General Assembly meeting took place on the 16th and 17th of October 2014 in Luxembourg. A total of 47 participants from 20 countries attended the meetings coming from port health authorities, universities, public organizations, ministries, international organizations, professional associations and the cruise shipping industry.
Meeting objectives
The Interim Collaborative Group meeting objectives were to decide on the methodology for developing deliverables and plan and discuss on activities and processes of the Joint Action.
Methods
The Interim Collaborative Group meeting methods comprised of: a) presentations of work packages progress b) focus groups and c) moderated discussions in plenary sessions.
Objectives, core and specific tasks and guiding questions were given to focus groups with the aim to facilitate discussions. Draft notes to be considered for a future legal framework were also prepared by members of the coordination team and were brought to the attention of the groups.
Main outcomes
The partnership had the opportunity to meet in person and discuss the progress and the long-term vision for the Joint Action activities. The partnership approved the work plan for the second half of the Joint Action. All participants agreed that this was a fruitful meeting and important decision were made regarding the further achievement of objectives and development of deliverables. All participants were in consensus that the Joint Action is progressing according to the plan and were satisfied with the work progress. The good working environment, the efficient coordination, the direction provided by DG SANCO and CHAFEA, as well as the involvement of all partners to the implementation of activities and the high level of active participation of the EU Member States was noted by all the participants. A summary list of actions to be taken as a result of the interim collaborative group meeting was developed.
Purpose
The purpose of the General Assembly meeting was to validate the work progress of the Joint Action, to decide which of the Joint Action activities will be included in the long-term sustainability strategy for permanent implementation and to work on the exit/sustainability plan.
Methods
Methods were decided in two preparatory meetings and involved: a) a survey for the collection of opinions of the partners and the users of the Joint Action deliverables, b) the development of background material for the facilitation of the General Assembly members’ discussions, c) the reporting to the members of the General Assembly of the results of the Interim Collaborative Group meeting, and d) moderated discussions of the members.
Main outcomes
All participants were satisfied with the progress made and it was accepted that no deviations were occurred in the initial work plan. Members of the General Assembly decided that seven activities should be included in the exit/sustainability plan for permanent implementation. Efforts of the partnership should focus on the legal basis of the future implementation of these activities and the dissemination for the wider use of activities by all Member States. Based on the decisions of the meeting, an outline of a consensus document will be developed and will be forwarded to DG SANCO, proposing the content of a legal framework for the sustainable implementation of the Joint Action activities. Members suggested the development of a “Recommendation” as the most appropriate legal basis of the EU SHIPSAN ACT activities at the current phase and prepared notes to be considered for the development of the future legal document.
Other past events:
Friday 7th November 2014, Luxemburg
The EU SHIPSAN ACT Joint Action Evaluation Strategy was presented by Prof. Chris Bartlett (External Evaluator, Honorary Professor, University College London, UK) at the Health Info Day on Joint Actions organized by the Consumers, Health and Food Executive Agency in Luxembourg.
13-14 November 2014, Brussels, Belgium
- The Health Security workshop aims to share the knowledge created through the Health security actions funded under the Health Proramme 2008-2013, and at same time to demonstrate how their results can be used to improve EU countries capacities to respond to the health threats and support the implementation of the Decision (1082/2013), in line with the acquisition of the core capacities defined under the International Health regulation (2005).
- The target audience were experts on health security, health policy, health security members, and health professionals from the EU MS, mainly Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Luxemburg. A total of 150 participants are expected, and the event was closed with participation only upon invitation.
- The EU SHIPSAN ACT JA was presented by Prof Gordon Nichols, Consultant Epidemiologist, Gastrointestinal Emerging and Zoonotic Infections, Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance and Control, Public Health England
For further information http://ec.europa.eu/chafea/news/news349.html
21-23 November 2014, Thessaloniki, Greece
The EU SHIPSAN ACT Joint Action was presented in the Annual PanHellenic Conference of the Forum of Public Health and Preventive Medicine by Dr Barbara Mouchtouri.
Forthcoming events:
Thursday 11th December 2014 Royal College of Surgeons, London, United Kingdom
This event is organized by the Water Management Society and Dr Barbara Mouchtouri will attend and present the Water Safety Plans - from the Cruise Ship Perspective.
What’s new on the website www.shipsan.eu
- In the Bibliography section you will find:
- currently available guidance for Ebola virus disease and shipping
- articles and reports in relation to chemical and radiological incidents on ships
- articles and reports in relation to infectious diseases on board ships
Quiz
by Dirk Van Reusel, Belgium
In March 1987 a ferry capsized shortly after leaving the port of Zeebrugge. Almost 200 passengers and crew member did not survive the disaster. The immediate cause of the sinking was found to be negligence. The bow-door was not closed and also the communication failed.
The name of the ferry was Herald of Free Enterprise. What happened after the vessel was salvaged?
Please send your answers to info@shipsan.eu
Answer to the previous issue quiz:
Harwich because it was requisitioned during the second world war by the Royal Navy.
Port in focus
Port of Rhodes, Greece
By
Kakakiou Androniki, Public Health Inspector, Region of South Aegean Greece
Tzikou Amalia, Public Health Inspector, Region of South Aegean Greece
Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the “Dodecanese Islands” and belongs to the South Aegean Region.
Rhodes has been important since ancient times. It is the meeting point of three continents, Europe, Asia and Africa and the city quickly became a maritime, commercial and cultural centre.
One of the oldest collections of maritime law rules is known as “Rhodian Sea Law”. It includes provisions relating to the crews and their duties, violations of navigation rules and the corresponding penalties, to transport goods procurement, shipping loans, insurance valuables during transport.
Historically, Rhodes was famous worldwide for the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It is said that the statue had a height greater than 32 feet and stood at the entrance of the harbour of ancient Rhodes, probably at the entrance, and the ships passed under the open legs of it.
The Central harbour of the island is located in the city of Rhodes. It is consisted by the commercial and the tourist part. Six berths serve exclusively the international traffic, consisting of scheduled services to and from Turkey, cruise ships and yachts which make their trip around the Mediterranean Sea.
Five berths serve commercial port: cargo ships, inland ferries and companies which connect Rhodes with the harbour of Piraeus and the islands of Aegean Sea. Since summer 2012, during the summer period, the port is also a homeport for a cruise line.
The harbour’s proximity to the town, allows easy access to a number of supplies and services and the visitor can easily reach it needs. The distance from the harbour to the international airport of Rhodes is nearly 30 minutes. The harbour of Rhodes offers good potential departure and arrival of ships, enough space to tie up large cruise ships and direct access to tourist buses and vehicles.
The cruise terminal, covering an area of 550 m2, can accommodate modern cruise ships and their passengers. The terminal offers all the facilities a cruise passenger will need: Schengen entry and exit, pilot service, tugboat service, customs, stevedores, fresh water, garbage removal, bunkers, forklifts.
It is also an authorised port from WHO for SSCC, SSCEC and Extension of a certificate.
And some statistic numbers: According to official figures, July, this year, 57 cruise ships approached the tourist harbour of Rhodes versus 53 in the same month last year (7.2% increase) carrying 59,023 tourists this year compared to 52,969 last year (growth rate of 10.26%).
