Download the EU SHIPSAN ACT JA - Newsletter: Issue 12 in .pdf format
Editorial
Dr Carmen Varela Martinez, Spain
Dear readers,
For the first issue of 2015, I would like to mention some articles related to significant events during 2014 that were published in the thematic sections of the Newsletter. Two articles about Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) were published in the issues number 7 and 11, and one article related to the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa was published in the issue number 10. Another article to highlight was related to an outbreak of measles on board a passenger ship sailing through the Mediterranean Sea (published in the issue number 7). For this outbreak the SHIPSAN communication network was used, apart from the existing communication systems. Finally, I would like to mention an article related to the EU decision on serious cross-border threats to health that entered into force on October 2013 and was published in the issue number 8 of the Newsletter.
As this is my last editorial, I would like to thank everybody that has contributed to the Newsletter and welcome the new editor Dr Pilipavicious. Enjoy reading this current issue of the Newsletter with the usual sections: news from the leadership, thematic sections, people from the project, recent publications, news and forthcoming dates, quiz and port in focus.
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 continues dynamically in 2015 moving forward all activities in relation to the sustainability of the project, the development of the deliverables and organising the next training courses. In the paragraphs to follow the main activities completed during the last two months are presented.
A new section has been developed in the website of EU SHIPSAN ACT providing Q&A for Ebola Virus Diseases (EVD) in the maritime transport sector after the request of several partners of the EU SHIPSAN ACT Joint Action in the General Assembly meeting that took place in Luxembourg in 17 of October 2014. The purpose is to provide answers to the questions received by public health authorities and shipping industry, based on evidence and according to the existing guidelines and knowledge. An announcement in the News section of Eurosurveillance has also been published for the Q&A section. (See the “What’s new on the website” section below for further details).
A new version of the EU SHIPSAN ACT Joint Action sustainability plan has been prepared including the decisions taken by the partnership at the General Assembly meeting. The sustainability plan is focused on identifying the activities of the EU SHIPSAN ACT JA and different scenarios for sustainable implementation.
A dedicated working group has started the revision of the European Manual for Hygiene Standards and Communicable Diseases Surveillance in accordance with the descisions taken in the Interim Collaborating Group Meeting. Τhe team of assigned experts from the working group will review all items and legislation and decide on what needs to be updated. The group will also review all suggestions and feedback from the pilot inspections. The revision of the manual should be completed by April. Moreover, the European manual is currently being translated in Greek by the Greek trained Port Health Officers and tranlations in more languages are being planned.
Following the example set by Spain and Belgium, the Hellenic Ministry of Health has distributed a Circular to all Greek authorised ports for the use of the EU SHIPSAN ACT Information System for issuance of Ship Sanitation Certificates and use of the Communication Network Platform by all Greek authorised ports.
In the months to come the SHIPSAN ACT partnership will be organising the 2015 SHIPSAN inspections. Finally, the European training course for lead inspectors on International Health Regulations (IHR) and Ship Sanitation Certificates (SSCs) will be organised in Slovenia in June 2015. In parallel, national training courses for IHR SSCs and the European Manual and SHIPSAN Information System will be organized in Ireland, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Spain, Croatia and Denmark with the support of EU SHIPSAN ACT.
Thematic Sections
Environmental health and hygiene on ships
Water Safety Plans – interesting points from the Water Management Society Seminar 11th December 2014
Martin Walker, Port Health Officer, Suffolk Coastal Port Health Authority, Felixstowe, England
Key Message: New and emerging pathogens may present increasing water borne infections.
Introduction
On 11th December 2014, the Water Management Society (http://www.wmsoc.org.uk/) held a very apt one day seminar in London entitled “Water Safety Plans, What do they mean to me?”. Various presenters (including Dr. Barbara Mouchtouri of SHIPSAN ACT) gave their perspectives on Water Safety Plans for different scenarios from Hospitals and Cruise Ships through to contractors and the World Health Organization. As I find is often the case when attending such a seminar or course, you learn something new. In this case it was about a number of new and emerging waterborne pathogens and in particular, the bacteria Stenotrophomonas maltophilia that is starting to come to attention. The SHIPSAN ACT newsletter allows me to share this with the readership.
Stenotrophomonas maltophilia
Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (or Steno for short) is an emerging multidrug-resitant organism (MDRO). It is a global opportunistic pathogen that has been found in (amongst other places) water treatment systems, washed salads, tap water, bottled water, ice machines and sink drains1. It was first discovered in 1943 as Bacterium bookeri before being named as Pseudomonas maltophilia2, Xanthomonas maltophilia and finally Stenotrophomonas maltophilia3.
Steno is a gram-negative aerobic bacteria which is rod shaped and motile. It is capable of forming biofilms and co-existing with other pathogenic bacteria (e.g. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus). Steno is not a highly virulent pathogen but is of concern to immuno-compromised or other susceptible individuals (for example, the very young, elderly or those with cystic fibrosis), particularly as it is an opportunistic pathogen. Steno flourishes in moist environments and it’s greatest risk is when it grows into a biofilm (particularly on equipment that may pose a risk of the organism entering the bloodstream). Therefore, it is of concern where invasive procedures may take place (e.g. medical procedures, dentistry) as infections can occur through the use of hospital appliances.
Specific infections that have been noted with Steno include bacteremia, respiratory infection, meningitis, ocular infections, peritonitis and skin/soft tissue infection4. Recent data for England, Wales and Northern Ireland between 2009 and 2013 show cases varying between 430 and 530 per annum5. However the current attributed cases of bacteremia from Steno in the UK are showing a slight fall5.
Control of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia
In addition to Steno being resistant to numerous anti-biotic drugs it demonstrates tolerance to a number of biocidal treatments particularly when it is present in biofilms. The American Society for Microbiology1 recommends the prevention of biofilm formation and the reduction of risk of infection in clinical settings and other aquatic environments as some key measures. Following regular cleaning and disinfection regimes for surfaces that medical equipment will come into contact with; regular hygienic handwashing by healthcare personnel (see the SHIPSAN ACT recommended handwashing procedure6) and observation of and vigilance towards replacing worn surfaces and deteriorating plumbing systems as control measures will all strike a chord with SHIPSAN Act readers. The implementation of Water Safety Plans that are appropriate and effective will also be critical to it’s control and I intend to look at Water Safety Plans in the next issue.
Conclusions
I can find very little reference to Steno on board vessels. However, it’s widespread distribution means that relevant issues and guidance within healthcare settings means that it is just as relevant on board vessels. It does highlight the range of risks that can be present on all vessels that operators and inspectors will need to be aware about, though Steno has more potential to affect cruise ships than other types of ships due to the nature of the passenger demographic and types of facilities offered on board. It does not have the highest profile of waterborne diseases and given the characteristics surrounding infection by Steno, it is appropriate not to overstate it’s risk compared to other risks on board. Awareness of it’s potential and the effectiveness of other key controls for bacterial infection that will have a positive effect on Steno control are important though.
References:
1 American Society for Microbiology, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia: an Emerging Global Opportunistic Pathogen http://cmr.asm.org/content/25/1/2.full
2 International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology http://ijs.sgmjournals.org/content/13/3/133.full.pdf+html
3 International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology http://ijs.sgmjournals.org/content/43/3/606.full.pdf+html
4 http://www.antimicrobe.org/b236.asp
5 Public Health England, Health Protection Report, Weekly Report, Volume 8 Number 28, Table 1 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/332670/hpr2814_hai_psdmns.pdf
6 European Manual for Hygiene Standards and Communicable Diseases Surveillance on Passenger Ships, Annex 14: Hand Washing Method http://www.shipsan.eu/Portals/0/docs/Manual_October_2011.pdf
Chemical and radiological issues on ships
THE UK RECOVERY HANDBOOK FOR CHEMICAL INCIDENTS FOR THE RECOVERY AND RESTORATION OF CONTAMINATED WATER ENVIRONMENTS
A Peña-Fernández, Raquel Duarte-Davidson and S Wyke
Public Health England, Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, UK
Public Health England (PHE), in collaboration with various UK departments and agencies, has published the UK Recovery Handbook for Radiation Incidents (Nisbet et al, 2009) and the UK Recovery Handbook for Chemical Incidents (UKRHCI) (Wyke-Sanders et al., 2012). The UKRHCI is a technical guidance document, freely available to download from the PHE website. It is designed to aid the development of a recovery and remediation strategy for the environment in the post-incident (post-acute) phase and to facilitate the selection of clean-up methods following a chemical incident. The handbook contains a compendium of practicable, evidence based recovery options for Inhabited Areas, Food Production Systems and Water Environments (Wyke-Sanders et al., 2012).
The Handbook recommends a number of recovery options (remediation techniques), which have the primary aim to reduce exposure and provide reassurance to consumers and people living in contaminated areas or those who may be concerned about their levels of exposure. The Handbook can also be used to generate awareness amongst emergency planners and stakeholders involved in dealing with the aftermath and recovery of a chemical incident.
In addition, PHE have also developed an interactive Chemical Recovery Navigation Tool (Peña-Fernández et al., 2014) that is accessible from the PHE website and follows the methodology of the UKRHCI (Wyke-Sanders et al., 2012).
The UKRHCI is continually updated to take into account information on past incidents and lessons learned, for example from the UK response to the Sea Empress tanker oil spill in Wales in 1996, have been incorporated into the UKRHCI and recovery tools to inform decisions on similar incidents in the future. The Sea Empress incident involved 72,000 tonnes of crude oil and 370 tonnes of heavy fuel oil that lasted over 3 days. The incident also contaminated around 200 km of coastline identified as a Special Protection Area and Site of Special Scientific Area. Lessons learned included:
- The importance of determining clean-up goals and criteria for lifting emergency restrictions during the planning process e.g. bans on fishing or precautionary dietary advice.
- Sampling and monitoring should start immediately after an incident is reported.
- Rapid consultation and communication between competent authorities and expert scientists should precede the use of dispersants, to ensure that resources that need to be protected are identified.
- The physicochemical properties of the agents involved should be taken into account; specifically oil can be trapped within coastal sediments and may be mobilised by storms or tides resulting in re-contamination of previously “cleaned” areas.
- A cleaning station may be required to decontaminate the vessels and equipment used during the clean-up.
- Decontamination techniques should be selected according to the characteristics of the site (e.g. different shore lines such as rocky, boulders, cobbles, shingle and sandy shores may require a tailored recovery approach to ensure the remediation techniques are most efficient and effective – one approach may not be suitable for all sub-environment surface types).
PHE is in the process of developing a revised update to the UK Recovery Handbooks for Radiation Incidents (publication Spring 2015), along with a Radiation Recovery Navigation Tool and the UK Recovery Handbook for Biological Incidents (publication Autumn 2015). It is envisaged that these Handbooks will complement the suite and spectrum of guidance for remediating the environment following a chemical, biological or radiation incident. For more information about the UKRHCI email: chemical.recovery@phe.gov.uk
References
Nisbet AF, Jones AL, J Brown, D Hammond, H Rochford and T Cabianca. UK Recovery Handbooks for Radiation Incidents: 2009. HPA-RPD-064. Available from Public Health England, UK at; https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-recovery-handbook-for-radiation-incidents-and-associated-publications (accessed 19/12/2014).
Peña-Fernández A, Silvey V and Wyke S. Chemical recovery navigation tool. Available at:
http://legacyassets.phe.org.uk/tools/CRT_elearning/index.html (accessed 19/12/2014).
Wyke-Sanders S, Brooke N, Dobney A, Baker D, Murray V. The UK Recovery Handbook for Chemical Incidents. Version 1, 2012. Available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-recovery-handbook-for-chemical-incidents-and-associated-publications (accessed 19/12/2014).
Occupational health on ships
Pride and Prejudice at sea and ashore
Von Münster T., Harth V., Oldenburg M.
Tuesday morning Hamburg hailed the container vessel “Globe” on its maiden voyage. Today’s biggest container vessel at sea has a capacity to carry more than 19,000 standard containers (TEU).
An article published by the BBC to its arrival in Felixstowe (UK) attracted our attention with the description of working conditions aboard as followed:
“For such a huge ship, the Globe's crew is surprisingly small. Only 23 people work on board during voyages. They spend most of their time in the bridge area, where there is a sauna and gymnasium.”
An expert from Lloyd's List shipping publication is cited: “The technical team would spend some time maintaining the engine and there might be occasions where some of the crew would have to go to some of the crates to make sure everything's OK.”
The article continues “It usually takes about 24 hours for a port to deal with loading and unloading the largest vessels. The crew takes little part in this, as the port itself does”.
We think this is a remarkable perception of reality concerning the working conditions on board.
As a WHO Collaborating Center for the Health of Seafarers, the Institute for Occupational and Maritime Medicine in Hamburg does intense research with an emphasis on occupational health and seafarers’ work demand.
A recent study showed that the usual duration of a contract for crew ranks is 6 month, often extended for another 3 month. A total of 25% of officers and 35% of crew ranks complained having a too long stay onboard. Furthermore the study revealed daily working hours of 10-12 hours, self said seven days a week. In contrast to the above described low workload during port stays, crew ranks experienced highest stress levels during this period.
Literature:
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-30696685, accessed 2015/01/12
Oldenburg M., Harth V., Jensen H. J.: Seafarers´ stress and strain aboard container ships. XX. World Congress on Safety and Health at Work. 2014
https://www.safety2014germany.com/en/programme/floor-plan.html?additions_conferenceschedule_action=detail&additions_conferenceschedule_controller=floorPlan&pid=443&hash=1df00431d2c407aa92c60328f91b1ea9
People from the project
Natalja Vozelevskaja, Estonia
I was born in Tallinn, Estonia, where I grew up and finished school. Then I completed my studies at the Medical Institute of Hygiene and Sanitation in St. Petersburg in 1980 and started work at the Estonian Sanitary Quarantine Service in Tallinn as a doctor-epidemiologist. From 1996 up to 1999 I worked as a doctor of an Estonian Shipping Company. In 2000 I returned to the Estonian Sanitary Quarantine Service as a head of service. Estonian Sanitary Quarantine Service in 2004 was reorganized into Sanitary Quarantine Bureau in structure of the Northern Service of the Health Board. Since 2009 I am also working as the Head of the epidemiological department of the Northern Service of the Health Board. Sanitary Quarantine Bureau is responsible for inspecting ships calling at the ports of Northern region of Estonia and issuing Ship Sanitation Certificates according to IHR (2005), for inspecting regional ports as designated ports according to IHR (2005).
In the epidemiological department I arrange work of regional field epidemiologists and provide investigations of communicable diseases outbreaks.
I participate at the SHIPSAN project since 2006 when the conception for the EU ship sanitation strategy was prepared. I also participated at the SHIPSAN training for health inspectors in 2011 and since the beginning I fully support the SHIPSAN ACT Joint Action.
Recent Publications
European Union SHIPSAN ACT Joint Action: Preparedness for the response to Ebola virus disease in the maritime transport sector.
Mouchtouri VA, Nichols G.
Euro Surveill. 2015;20(1):pii=20997.
Available online: http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=20997
The SHIPSAN ACT Joint Action has published a 'Questions and Answers’ (Q&A) section about Ebola virus disease in the maritime transport sector on its website.
World Health Organisation, Coordinated public health surveillance between points of entry and national health surveillance systems - Advising principles. 2014
Available for download: http://www.who.int/ihr/publications/WHO_HSE_GCR_LYO_2014.12/en/
Description
The International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) require State Parties to meet specific core capacity requirements for surveillance and response in order to early detect, investigate and respond to all public health risks. This mechanism, known as Early Warning and Response (EWAR), is based on the collection and the dissemination of pertinent information to competent authorities who can take appropriate measures. Crucial information is generated at points of entry including ports, airports and ground crossings, and should be transmitted timely to the national health surveillance system. Likewise points of entry should receive all pertinent information generated from the national health surveillance system and from elsewhere in a timely manner. 
The purpose of this document is to support competent authorities in charge of IHR implementation to improve national capacities for the prevention, detection and control of events, by strengthening communications and coordination between points of entry and the national health surveillance system.
This document provides steps for implementing/strengthening communication mechanisms and defines criteria for deciding what and how events should be reported between points of entry and the national health surveillance system.
Microbiological comparison of hand-drying methods: the potential for contamination of the environment, user, and bystander.
E.L. Best, P. Parnell, M.H. Wilcox
Journal of Hospital Infection 88 (2014) 199 - 206
Available for download from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195670114002461
Abstract
Background: The efficiency of hand drying is important in preventing pathogen spread, but knowledge surrounding which drying methods contribute least towards contamination of the environment and users is limited.
Aim: To compare the propensity of three common hand-drying methods (jet air, warm air dryers, and paper towels) to contaminate the environment, users, and bystanders.
Methods: Hands were coated in lactobacilli to simulate poorly washed, contaminated hands, and dried. The investigation comprised 120 air-sampling tests (60 tests and 60 controls), divided into close and 1 m proximity from the drying process. Separate tests used hands coated in paint to visualize droplet dispersal.
Findings: Air bacterial counts in close proximity to hand drying were 4.5-fold higher for the jet air dryer (70.7 cfu) compared with the warm air dryer (15.7 cfu) (P = 0.001), and 27-fold higher compared with use of paper towels (2.6 cfu) (P < 0.001). Airborne counts were also significantly different during use of towel drying versus warm air dryer (P = 0.001). A similar pattern was seen for bacterial counts at 1 m away. Visualization experiments demonstrated that the jet air dryer caused the most droplet dispersal.
Conclusion: Jet air and warm air dryers result in increased bacterial aerosolization when drying hands. These results suggest that air dryers may be unsuitable for use in healthcare settings, as they may facilitate microbial cross-contamination via airborne dissemination to the environment or bathroom visitors.
News and forthcoming dates
Past events:
5th Maritime Conference - Shipping, Safety and Healthcare Standards
When: 19 December 2014 Where: Athens, Greece
The Joint Action activities were presented by Dr Barbara Mouchtouri (SHIPSAN ACT Joint Action manager).
SHIPSAN Forthcoming events:
Synchronous e-learning via webinars on health threats related to maritime transport
During the Interim Collaborating Group meeting in Luxembourg in October 2014 the partnership agreed to deliver Synchronous E-learning via Webinars every 1-2 months inviting experts to present using interactive tools. The synchronous e-learning webinars will be hosted in the SHIPSAN ACT e-learning platform.
The topics to be covered are presented below:
- Ebola Disease Virus and maritime transport sector
- Water Safety Plan and Legionnaires disease prevention and control on ships
- The art of inspection
- Dealing with chemical and radiological incidents on ships
- Occupational health in maritime transport
- State of the Art report
Further information about the date and time of the first Synchronous Webinar will be sent in due time.
Other Forthcoming events:
Avoiding Outbreaks: Maintaining Safety Standards for Holidaymakers
When: 12 February - 13 February 2015
Where: 28 Portland Place, London W1B 1LY
For further information: https://www.rsph.org.uk/en/courses-conferences-and-events/index.cfm/avoiding-outbreaks-maintaining-safety-standards-for-holidaymakers
What’s new on the website
www.shipsan.eu
Questions and answers about Ebola virus disease for maritime transport
The need to prepare a Questions and Answers section about Ebola and maritime transport was brought to the attention of the EU SHIPSAN ACT General Assembly (17/10/14, Luxembourg) by several partners of the EU SHIPSAN ACT Joint Action.
A working group of EU MS experts was formed and the Q&A section was developed and posted on the SHIPSAN website.
The
purpose is to provide answers to the questions received by public health authorities and shipping industry, based on evidence and according to the existing guidelines and knowledge.
The aim of the Q&A is to provide clarifications useful for:
- public health authorities,
- port workers and
- the shipping industry
The content of answers in regards to the case definitions, the clinical and laboratory criteria and the management of contacts are based on the European Commission directives and the guidelines of the European Centre for Diseases Prevention and Control (ECDC).
To visit the Q&A section please click on the following link: http://www.shipsan.eu/Home/AdhocForumforEbola.aspx
Acknowledgments:
The answers to the questions were prepared by the working group of the EU SHIPSAN ACT Joint Action, consisting of:
Barbara Mouchtouri, Greece / Miguel Davila Cornejo, Spain / Mauro Dionisio, Italy / Martin Dirksen-Fischer, Germany / Finan Gallagher, Ireland / Boris Kopilovic, Slovenia / Gordon Nichols, UK / Diederik Van Reusel, Belgium / Carmen Varela Martinez, Spain /Thomas von Münster, Germany / Christopher Bartlett, UK / Christos Hadjichristodoulou, Greece.
Moreover, the working group consulted the following persons: Cinthia Menel Lemos from the European Commission Consumers, Health and Food Executive Agency (CHAFEA), Emmanuel Robesyn, Diamantis Plachouras, Klaus Weist and Carmen Varela Santos from the European Centre for Diseases Prevention and Control (ECDC), Daniel Menucci and Ninglan Wang from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Antonino Di Caro from the EU Joint Action “Quality Assurance Exercises and Networking on the Detection of Highly Infectious Pathogens” (QUANDHIP).
Quiz
by Natalja Vozelevskaja, Head of Sanitary Quarantine Bureau, Northern Service of the Health Board, Estonia
Catastrophic defeat of Napoleon's army in 1812 during the invasion of Russia provided the Russian army and the Russian winter. What was the third factor played a huge role in the defeat of Napoleon's army?
Please send your answers to
info@shipsan.eu
Answer to the previous issue quiz:
The Herald of Free Enterprise was brought to a scrapyard in Taiwan because nobody was interested in buying the vessel.
Congratulations for the correct answers to the quiz from Issue 10 and 11:
- Dr Audrone Lavruvianec, Chief specialist of the department of Communicable diseases prevention and control, Klaipeda Public Health Center, Lithuania
- Dr Panagiotis Papastergiou, Consultant Microbiologist, MD, Ph.D, Path Links Pathology Service, Microbiology Department, Lincoln County Hospital, St Annes Road, Lincoln, UK
Port in focus
Port of Varna, Bulgaria
By
Dr. Galina Kokosharova, Regional Health Inspectorate – Varna, Bulgaria
Photos
by Dr. Galina Kokosharova and Diyana Stefanova Regional Health Inspectorate – Varna, Bulgaria
Photo 1: Port Varna
www.port-varna.bg
The Port of Varna is the largest seaport in Bulgaria. It is located on the Black Sea's west coast on Varna Bay, along Lake Varna and Lake Beloslav and includes the outlying port of Balchik. The port is easily accessible by road and railroad and well connected to Varna International Airport.
There are two anchorages at Varna road: summer and winter. If bad weather makes the anchorage hazardous, it is available to anchor near Cape Kaliakra on 26 nautical miles (48 km) east-northeast of Varna.
Around the first half of the 6th century BC., Greek colonists from the Ionian city of Miletus based the ancient village Odessos /now – Varna/and turned it into one of the major trading centers in the Black Sea. In the late 19th century, Varna became a major economic, administrative and cultural center of the new independent Bulgarian country. In 1888, the government made a decision to build new seaports in Varna and Burgas. During 1906 - 1909, The Canal was dredged to connect the Black Sea with the Lake of Varna. In 1966, the port was extended by building a new Mole A and The Passenger Terminal. In 1974, the new industrial port of Varna West started. Varna Port Complex was established in the same year to include the port facilities of Varna East, Varna West, Power Station Terminal, Balchik and Kavarna.
The port facilities are open for operations all year round.
Photo 2: Tall Ships Regatta 2014
Now Port of Varna operates Bulgaria’s two largest port terminals: Varna East and Varna West. Varna East port is situated at only 1 km distance from the city center. Two inland canals connect the sea and Varna East port with lakes and Varna West port. The canals form an island, on which an oil terminal is located. Varna West port is located at 30 km west of Varna city, on the shore of Beloslav Lake. It is close to the chemical factories of Devnya which enables effective “factory-to-ship” direct handling of goods.
Varna Port offers full service: loading, discharging, stevedoring, freight forwarding, storage and various intermodal services. The port has open-air storage area and the warehouses.
The existing port facilities allow the handling of practically all kinds of solid bulk, break-bulk, containerized and some liquid-bulk cargoes. Exports are urea, soda ash, cement, clinker, silica, fertilisers, grain, containers. Imports are coal, metals, ores and ore concentrates, oil, phosphates, timber, molasses, containers,etc. The port successfully handles windmill components, transformer equipment, specific project cargo, etc.
The port serves passenger and cruise ships, scientific vessels and yahts. In 2014, the major international marine event was The Tall Ships Regatta.
The Port of Varna is also the national leader for container and grain traffic:”In 2013, the handled container traffic exceeded 103,000 TEU. The exported grain amounted to 3.6 million tons”.
Photo 3: Thermoelectric power port
Other port terminals are the Cruise Terminal, Petrol, Lesport, Varna Thermal Power Plant , Railroad Ferry Terminal/which is located on the south shore of Lake Beloslav opposite Varna West/. In the territory of Varna ports there are also ship repair and shipbuilding yards - SRY, Dolphin, Terem.
“Port of Varna is the only port in the Black Sea region which has a successfully implemented and certified Integrated Management System up to international standards, covering all aspects of the business with respect to quality (ISO 9001:2008), environment (ISO 14001:2004), health and safety at work (BS OHSAS 18001:2007). The company also meets the requirements of ISPS Code. “
Immediately after the liberation of Bulgaria in 1878, the medical management of Bulgaria started the organization and equipment of the quarantine service in Port of Varna. According to the “Rules of quarantine doctors and health services in Bulgarian Black Sea ports” from 1886, each arriving ship was visited first by the quarantine doctor to clarify the quarantine state. Now the successor of this service is the team “Medical-sanitary border control” in Directorate “Surveillance of communicable diseases” in Regional Health Inpectorate - Varna.
And one curious fact from the history: In the summer of 1868 the French merchant ship "Jerome Napoleon" anchor in the port of Varna. Aboard sailing future genius painter Paul Gauguin, who served as a sailor. The museum "Gauguin" in Papeete, capital of Tahiti, keep a map of his travels in the world and Varna is one of them.”
In conclusion: The Port of Varna, as a commercial port for more than 100 years and now as a port at the outer border of the EU, has always been and will be a port of national and international importance.
References
www.port-varna.bg
Port of Varna,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Varna
Photo 4: Port Varna west and factories in Devnya
Photo 5: Port Varna east
