Download the EU SHIPSAN ACT JA - Newsletter: Issue 15 in .pdf format

Editorial

---

Dr Rimantas Pilipavicius, Lithuania

Dear readers,

I would like to welcome the fact, that the period since the last newsletter was full of events related to the EU SHIPSAN ACT Joint Action activities.

The training course for port health officers about ship sanitation inspection and issuance of ship sanitation certificate, held in Slovenia in June, received a lot of positive feedback from trainees, noting that training course relevant to their job. Representatives from WP9 “Occupational health and hygiene on ships” participated in 13th International Symposium on Maritime Health, which was organized in Bergen. During this event, the online interactive Risk Assessment Tool for cargo vessel was presented and constructive feedback from maritime professionals and other researches on how to improve the tool was received. The EU SHIPSAN ACT Joint Action was also featured during the 5th meeting of the PAGNet, in the beginning of July, in Portugal.

In previous Newsletter Dr. Martin Walker began writing articles about ballast water - one of the most important vectors for marine species transfer throughout the world. You already were acquainted with ballast water in general and its main risks to public health. In this Newsletter Dr. Martin Walker continue sharing his knowledge and best practice about ballast water exchange, which is the only effective management tool to reduce the risk of ballast-mediated invasion. So, it is a good opportunity to all Port Health Officers and other stakeholders once again to improve their skills about The Ballast Water Convention, the process of ballast water exchange the D1 Standard, which specifies the volume of water to be replaced, and ballast water management plan.

We cannot forget that refugees crossing the Mediterranean Sea issue is still in force. In order to solve the stress and strain of seafarers by offshore refugees’ problem, a kick of-meeting for establishing a local network in Germany was organized. More about this meeting and its outcome You can read in the article presented by. Dr. med. Thomas von Munster, Dr. med. Martin Dirksen-Fischer and others.

Also, there is an article presenting the guidance on use and risks of common types of fumigants used on cargo ships - a chemical compound used in its gaseous state as a pesticide or disinfectant.

Taking the advantage of the opportunity, I would like to invite others specialists to share their knowledge and best practices in order to avoid public health threats related to maritime transport to and improve the health of passengers and crew.
Enjoy reading the Newsletter with many interesting topics.

 

---

News from the leadership 

 
Prof Christos Hadjichristodoulou, SHIPSAN ACT Joint Action Coordinator
Dr Barbara Mouchtouri, SHIPSAN ACT Joint Action Manager

The EU SHIPSAN ACT Joint Action is counting 30 months of implementation. Participating EU MS are working towards the sustainability of the activities by promoting the use of the deliverables by the interested parties via more official routes. The coordination team and sustainability working group are dedicated in exploring all possible choices for the sustainability of the Joint Action’s activities (SHIPSAN Information System, training, European Manual for Hygiene Standards and Communicable Diseases Surveillance, inspection framework, etc.) and within this scope are organising meetings with all interested parties. Additionally, the sustainability plan is being updated to include the decision taken during the latest sustainability working group meeting.

A total of four webinars were completed as part of the EU SHIPSAN ACT training activities with all four receiving wide popularity and positive feedback. It appears that the synchronous e-learning is a favourable and cost effective means of training. To date, about 150 people from 23 countries registered to watch the webinar series out of which the majority are Port Health Officers and a considerable number are first time participants to EU SHIPSAN ACT Joint Action events. Taking into consideration the success of this activity and the request by participants for webinars to be delivered in other languages, the partnership intends to organize national webinars by using the EU SHIPSAN ACT e-learning and webinar platforms. Finally, in the following months the partnership will organise the national training courses and will finalise the European Manual revision and translation in other languages.

The EU SHIPSAN ACT Joint Action in numbers: •   32 partners from 24 EUMS •  400 people completed e-learning modules • 192 inspectors from 12 EUMS used the SHIPSAN Information System to record/issue 6818 IHR Ship Sanitation Certificates •   >100 port health officers and about 96 seafarers participated in face to face training courses •   >150 people registered to view live webinars •   140 pilot inspections conducted in 33 ports by 57 inspectors (2011, 2013, 2014) •    EU MS followed up 23 events (20 ships, 1685 cases) by using the SHIPSAN Information System (SIS)

---

Thematic Sections 

Environmental health and hygiene on ships

Ballast water exchange

Martin Walker, Port Health Officer, Suffolk Coastal Port Health Authority, Felixstowe, England

 

Key Message: Explaining the mechanism of ballast water exchange and what Port Health Officers may find during inspection.

Introduction

Continuing from last months topic about the risks from ballast water, I wanted to look at ballast water exchange. In particular, how it can control public health risks under the International Health Regulations 2005 (IHR)¹ together with the requirements within the WHO Technical Handbook².

The Ballast Water Convention

The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) adopted the “International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments” (Ballast Water Convention)3 in 2004. The convention allows for 2 principle methods of controlling the risks from ballast water (Exchange or Management), together with other requirements such as management plans and record keeping. It will come into force when 30 Flag States representing 35% of the gross tonnage of the world’s merchant fleet ratify the convention. The latest figure that I have found is that 44 states have ratified, representing 32.86% of the gross tonnage and so it has not quite reached both criteria for coming into force.4 The target numbers are however, expected to be achieved later this year.

The process of Ballast Water Exchange

Ballast Water Exchange is the systematic emptying of tanks and refilling in a deep sea location to avoid the transport of Invasive Aquatic Species or pathogens to other ports. The Ballast Water Convention sets a target for this process which is referred to as the D1 Standard. I will cover the alternative process (Ballast Water Management, standard D2) in the next issue. The timetable set out in the convention for the application dates are shown below:

(Source: Maritime and Coastguard Agency, UK, Marine Guidance Note 363)

The aim of Ballast Water Exchange is to ensure that the process is carried out far enough away from land and in deep enough deep sea water for any possible pathogens or Invasive Aquatic Species to be unable to survive or make it to susceptible countries (fresh water species should not be able to survive in salt water and vice-versa). Exchange should be carried out in waters that are at least 200 nautical miles from land and at least 200 metres in depth. If this is not operationally possible, the exchange needs to take place as far away as possible from land, and in all cases at least 50 nautical miles from the nearest land and in water 200 metres deep.

For operational standards, at least 95% of the ballast water by volume must be exchanged. This can be achieved by 3 methods⁶:

1. Sequential method – here the ballast tanks are emptied until the pumps lose suction. The tanks are then further stripped by eductor systems (jet pumps designed to remove sediments). Fresh ballast is then taken on board.
2. Flow through (or pumping-through) method – water is pumped into the tank and allowed to overflow through the air vent or dedicated overflow vents. To achieve the 95% volumetric exchange, three times of the volume of the tank is considered sufficent.
3. Dilution method – here the tank has 2 openings. Water is pumped in from one opening and flows out through another.

There are practical problems with achieving all aspects of satisfactory ballast water exchange. For example, the safety of the vessel must not be compromised. Factors such as traffic density, sea conditions/weather forecast, vessels stability and availability of suitable areas to exchange ballast water on the vessels normal route can all affect the process.

Ballast Water Management Plan

Vessels covered by the convention need to have a ballast water management plan. A named officer (often the Chief Officer) will be in charge of the plan and ballast water operations. The WHO Technical Handbook² covers this requirement in paragraph 11.1.1. The plan itself should be a useful source of information to inspectors including the size and layout of tanks, pump data, ballast water system used and recording requirments. Templates for plans are available such as that provided by Lloyd’s Register⁷.

Checking Compliance

Ballast water checks are often seen as a lower priority to a Port Health Officer compared to the myriad of other areas and hazards that we need to be aware of during a normal inspection. However, it is an area that needs to be checked before issuing the Ship Sanitation Certificate. Aside from the visual inspection outside the vessel when de-ballasting may take place, sampling of ballast water can help to identify compliance with water exchanged in the deep sea (by looking at the salinity content). However, WHO has not expected inspectors to carry this out as part of a routine inspection due to the time and complexity that may be involved. In addition, enforcement of ballast water requirements more usually rests with Port State Control. The main check for a routine inspection is likely to be checks of the ballast water record book. This should show where ballast water exchange has taken place and under what conditions.

Conclusions

This short article can only cover the basics of ballast water exchange but it’s aim is to highlight the process and guide readers to further detailed sources of information. In the next issue, I will cover the D2 standard of ballast water management.
References: 

1. International Health Regulations 2005 Second Edition, World Health Organization, Annex 3, http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2008/9789241580410_eng.pdf
2. “Handbook for Inspection of Ships and Issuance of Ship Sanitation Certificates”, World Health Organization 2011, http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2011/9789241548199_eng.pdf?ua=1
3. International Convention for the Control and Managment of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments http://www.imo.org/en/About/Conventions/ListOfConventions/Pages/International-Convention-for-the-Control-and-Management-of-Ships'-Ballast-Water-and-Sediments-(BWM).aspx
4. http://www.classnk.com/hp/pdf/activities/statutory/ballastwater/ratification_ballast.pdf
5. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-24/ballast-water-investments-look-set-to-surge-when-ratified
6. http://www.brighthubengineering.com/marine-history/63157-ballast-water-management/ 
7. Model Ballast Water Management Plan, Lloyd’s Register Marine 

The secretary general of the German Seaman Mission, (Deutsche Seemannsmission e. V.), H. Proske gave an overview of possible support from the mission to seafarers including their Trauma Emergency team. She mentioned the very long experience of her institution in Germany and abroad. She asked for further national and international collaboration.






The scope of the symposium was to gather all local stakeholders. The discussion will be continued. A working group including all stakeholders will continue to work on this issue. The authors of this article will report on any progress and are eager to find out about other activities within the SHIPSAN ACT community.


https://www.rederi.no/DownloadFile/?file=35383
http://www.ics-shipping.org/docs/largescalerescue





Occupational health on ships:

13th International Symposium on Maritime Health
Bergen, Norway

B. Kairiene³ T. von Münster¹, M. Dirksen-Fischer², V. Harth1, R. J. Pilipavičius³,

1 Institute for Occupational and Maritime Medicine (ZfAM), Hamburg State Department for Health and Consumer Protection and University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany

2 Hamburg Port Health Centre, Institute for Hygiene and Environment, Hamburg State Department for Health and Consumer Protection, Germany

3 Klaipeda Public Health Centre, Lithuania

The 13th International Symposium on Maritime Health (ISMH13) was held on 23 – 26th of June, 2015 in Bergen, Norway. It was organised by the Norwegian Centre for Maritime Medicine in cooperation with the Department of Occupational Health, Haukeland University Hospital on behalf of the International Maritime Health Association (IMHA).

About 200 maritime health professionals, researchers, representatives from the shipping industry, the maritime administrations and from national and international organizations from more than 40 countries participated in ISMH13.
The main focus of the scientific program was – “Healthy seafarers – healthy shipping!”

The five plenary sessions focused on Healthy Shipping, Healthy Seafarers and Healthy Passengers, Perspectives on Maritime Health and Healthy Fisheries, Cruising and Passenger Shipping.

During 12 parallel sessions, maritime health specialists and other participants could broaden their knowledge and discuss seafarers infectious and chronic diseases, occupational health risks, wellbeing, risk management at sea, news concerning the cruise sector, developments in remote care, the fishing sector and maritime medical practice and care at sea.
Participants were invited to discuss and share their knowledge in five parallel workshops, led by a specialist. Topics were a) diving medicine, b) evacuation, port health care and repatriation, c) fitness assessment – validity, equity and efficiency, d) ship sanitation – water, infections control and e) ship´s medicine chest. Particular attention was paid to seafarers fatigue and the analysis of underlying factors like stress and tension management in order to improve the quality of seafarers’ life.

Ms. Despena Andrioti, Centre of Maritime Health and Society, Esbjerg, University of Southern Denmark reported on her results regarding training needs related to core capacities at points of entry in Europe. Work package Nr. 9, “Occupational health and hygiene in maritime transport” of the EU Joint Action SHIPSAN ACT was represented by Mrs. Brigita Kairiene (Klaipeda Public Health Centre, Lithuania) and Dr. Thomas von Münster (Institute for Occupational and Maritime Medicine (ZfAM), Hamburg, Germany). The online interactive Risk Assessment Tool for cargo vessels was presented during a poster session. In addition to the poster all participants had the chance to try the tool online. Constructive feedback on how to improve the tool was received from maritime health professionals and other researches. Furthermore the authors had the chance to look at a similar tool, presented by colleagues from Takasaki City University, Japan. Participants of ISMH13 discussed the opportunities to apply this tool and its benefits for the shipping industry and its dissemination. Additionally contacts to occupational health professionals from the maritime sector from different countries could be achieved for further support of the evaluation of the tool.

For more information, please visit http://www.ismh13.org/sv/


Chemical and radiological issues on ships:

The use and risks of fumigants on cargo ships

Tom Gaulton, Charlotte Landeg-Cox, Jonathan Roberts and Eirian Thomas

Around 80% of global trade (by volume) is transported by sea. In 2013 global shipping topped 9.5 billion tonnes, an increase of 3.8% on the previous year1. Protective measures, such as fumigation, may be required to ensure that cargo transported by sea arrives in good condition. The type of fumigant used will depend on the cargo being shipped, but a range of products may be fumigated to protect them from pests, for example food, wood, medicines, textiles, mattresses, shoes and furniture.
There has been a global increase in the use of fumigant gases since 2005. This has been attributed to international standards which aim to reduce populations of wood damaging insects2. The types of fumigants used vary according to the product being fumigated. The table below describes the most common types of fumigant gases used, their main purpose and health effects following exposures. It is worth noting that fumigants may also be used in combination so human exposure may not be to a single chemical.

Fumigants and their exposure effects. Source: PHE (2014)3.

Cargo containers may pose a health threat to those handling the cargo and those conducting the fumigation process as well as to the environment and persons in the country where the products are imported. In 2012, the UK National Poison Information Service picked up a cluster of inquiries about possible phosphine exposure, linking the presence of phosphine with cargo ship fumigation and rapidly alerted public health authorities of the potential danger present at port4, 8. In a separate incident the cargo holds of a vessel were insufficiently sealed and phosphine gas leaked into a crewman’s quarters, leading to exposure and subsequently, death5. In 2014, a literature review was undertaken by Public Health England to identify any information related to incidents where exposure to fumigants had occurred. It reported that there is likely to be publication bias in the literature as only more extreme events or incidents are likely to be published and therefore results presented in these papers are unlikely to be representative of the range of exposures that may be occurring3. More reliable information about exposure to fumigants may be obtained from systematic data collection systems usually held by organisations involved in the response to such incidents.

Guidance on use of fumigants

Guidelines published by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) make recommendations on the safe use of pesticides in ships applicable to the fumigation of cargo transport units. This requires communication of the hazards posed by cargo under fumigation, such as warning signs on containers, documents describing the fumigant and method of use and declaring fumigated containers on the ship’s manifest6. It also recommends that persons handling the fumigant should undergo relevant training; that ships have adequate systems in place to detect the presence of fumigants and that appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) is available⁶. The guidelines also state that the authorities at the destination port should be informed of any fumigation work being carried out, at least 24 hours in advance.
International agencies and regulators must ensure the labelling of cargo containers is sufficiently clear to provide warnings of the risk from fumigation. Labelling has been shown to be inconsistent and poor with many unlabelled containers containing high levels of fumigant gases⁷ and there is potential for accumulation of concentrations of fumigant gases in containers, so it is important that methods for storage and transport, including aeration and ventilation are regularly reviewed and properly enforced.

References

1. UNCTAD review of maritime transport 2014. Found at the following address on 07/07/15: http://unctad.org/en/PublicationsLibrary/rmt2014_en.pdf

2. Haack, R.A., Britton, K.O., Brockerhoff, E.G. et al. Effectiveness of the International Phytosanitary Standard ISPM No.15 on reducing wood borer infestation rates in wood packaging material entering the United States. PLoS One. (2014) 9(5):e96611

3. Chemical Hazards and Poisons report, Public Health England, issue 24, September 2014. Found at the following address on the 07/07/15: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/348826/CHaP_report_24_2.pdf

4. Marine Accident Investigation Board – Accident Report No 21/2013, October 2013. Found at the following address on 08/07/15: https://assets.digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk/media/547c6f42ed915d4c0d000023/ArklowMeadowReport.pdf

5. Lodde, B., Lucas, D., Letort, JM. et al. Acute phosphine poisoning on board a bulk carrier: analysis of factors leading to a fatal case. J Occup Med Toxicol. (2015) 10:10.

6. IMO recommendations on the safe use of pesticides in ships applicable to the fumigation of cargo transport units. MSC.1/Circ.1265. Found at the following address on 08/07/15: http://www.imo.org/blast/blastDataHelper.asp?data_id=22227&filename=1265.pdf

7. Preisser, A.M, Budnik, L.T. and Baur, X. Health effects due to fumigated freight containers and goods: how to detect, how to act. Int Marit Health. (2012) 63, 3:133-9.

8. NPIS Annual Report 2013/14 (page 33). Found at the following address:(http://www.npis.org/NPISAnnualReport2012-13.pdf)

People from the project

Dr. Nuno Rodrigues, Portugal

The sea has always played an important role in my life. I was born and raised in the volcanic islands of the Azores, well in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

At the age of eighteen, I moved to Oporto to get my Medical degree and I haven’t left since then. Oporto is a vibrant and iconic Portuguese city surrounded by the Douro River in the south and the Ocean in the west. After my specialization in Public Health, I started to work in Matosinhos, a coastal city of the metropolitan area of Oporto with about 200.000 residents. I was appointed local Health Authority in 2011 and, since the town hosts the Port of Leixões (the biggest port in the northern region of Portugal), I was also designated Port Health Authority there.

The opportunity to participate in the EU SHIPSAN ACT came last year and since then it represents a huge contribution to my daily work. I look forward for the full dissemination and implementation of the project in Portugal in the upcoming years.







Recent Publications
   
Influenza Outbreaks Among Passengers and Crew on Two Cruise Ships: A Recent Account of Preparedness and Response to an Ever-Present Challenge

Millman AJ, Kornylo Duong K, Lafond K, Green NM, Lippold SA, Jhung MA.
J Travel Med. 2015 Jun 2.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: During spring 2014, two large influenza outbreaks occurred among cruise ship passengers and crew on trans-hemispheric itineraries.

METHODS: Passenger and crew information for both ships was obtained from components of the ship medical records. Data included demographics, diagnosis of influenza-like illness (ILI) or acute respiratory illness (ARI), illness onset date, passenger cabin number, crew occupation, influenza vaccination history, and rapid influenza diagnostic test (RIDT) result, if performed.

RESULTS: In total, 3.7% of passengers and 3.1% of crew on Ship A had medically attended acute respiratory illness (MAARI). On Ship B, 6.2% of passengers and 4.7% of crew had MAARI. In both outbreaks, passengers reported illness prior to the ship's departure. Influenza activity was low in the places of origin of the majority of passengers and both ships' ports of call. The median age of affected passengers on both ships was 70 years. Diagnostic testing revealed three different co-circulating influenza viruses [influenza A(H1N1)pdm09, influenza A(H3N2), and influenza B] on Ship A and one circulating influenza virus (influenza B) on Ship B. Both ships voluntarily reported the outbreaks to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and implemented outbreak response plans including isolation of sick individuals and antiviral treatment and prophylaxis.

CONCLUSIONS: Influenza activity can become widespread during cruise ship outbreaks and can occur outside of traditional influenza seasons. Comprehensive outbreak prevention and control plans, including prompt antiviral treatment and prophylaxis, may mitigate the impact of influenza outbreaks on cruise ships.

Evaluation of a New Environmental Sampling Protocol for Detection of Human Norovirus on Inanimate Surfaces

Park GW, Lee D, Treffiletti A, Hrsak M, Shugart J, Vinjé J.
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2015 Jun 26.

Abstract
Inanimate surfaces are regarded as key vehicles for the spread of human norovirus during outbreaks. The ISO-method 15216 describes the use of cotton swabs for environmental sampling from food surfaces and fomites for the detection of norovirus GI and GII. We evaluated the effect of virus drying times (1, 8, 24, 48 h), different swab materials (cotton, polyester, rayon, macrofoam and antistatic wipe), different surfaces (stainless steel and toilet seat) and swab surface area (25.8 cm2 to 645.0 cm2 on the recovery of human norovirus. Compared to the other swabs, macrofoam had the highest recovery of norovirus from surfaces up to 645cm2. Recovery ranged from 2.2 -36.0% for virus seeded on stainless steel coupons (645.0 cm2) to 1.2 - 33.6% from toilet seat surface (700 cm2) with a detection limit of 3.5 and 4.0 log10 RNA copies. We used macrofoam swabs to collect environmental samples from several case cabins and common areas from a cruise ship where passengers had reported viral gastroenteritis symptoms. Seventeen (18.5%) of 92 samples tested positive for norovirus GII and 4 samples could be sequenced and had identical GII.1 sequences. The viral load of the swab samples from the cabins of the sick passengers ranged from 80 to 31,217 RNA copies compared 16 to 113 RNA copies for the swab samples from public spaces. In conclusion, our swab protocol for norovirus may be a useful tool in addition to testing of clinical specimens for outbreak investigations when no clinical samples are available to confirm the etiology.



News and forthcoming dates


PAGNET MEETING: STRENGTHENING PUBLIC HEALTH CAPACITIES FOR PORTS AND SHIPPING



Representatives of the EU SHIPSAN ACT Joint Action participated in the 5th meeting of the PAGNet. 
PAGnet is a web-based network that brings together public health officials and key partners to share information about public health activities at ports, airports and ground crossings (PAG). The mission and objectives of PAGnet can be reviewed online at https://extranet.who.int/pagnet/?q=content/mission-and-objectives. PAGNet currently has over 400 members from public health authorities around the world and is actively seeking new participants and institutional partners. 

The 5th meeting of the PAGNet was held 7 - 9 July 2015 in Lisbon, Portugal. This is the first meeting held outside of Lyon, France. The meeting was co-funded by European Union under the European Union Contribution Agreement with WHO - Contract IFS/2013/321215
“Strengthening Health Security at Ports, Airports and Ground crossings” (DEVCO project) and in collaboration with:

•  Directorate-General of Health of Portugal
  
• Directorate-General of Maritime Authority of Portugal
  
• Directorate-General of Natural Resources, Security and Maritime Services of Portugal
  

There were sixty participants including representatives from ministries of health and port authorities in 21 countries; the shipping, cruise ship and aviation sector and Intergovernmental organizations/bodies and WHO Collaborating Centres. Experts from three WHO regional offices, Learning Solutions and Training Support team as well were WHO PAG Secretariat in Lyon, France supported the event.

This meeting’s agenda focused on public health capacities at ports and related shipping issues. The first session included updates on PAGNet functioning, including how members used the network for information related to the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak and an interactive session to explore ideas to enhance the network, including how to increase the membership. This was followed by sessions on the international framework for public health event management and perspectives from the cruise line industry. The experience in building public health emergency response capacity at airports was presented by expert from the Collaborative Arrangement for the Prevention and Management of Public Health Events in Civil Aviation (CAPSCA).

The fourth session was dedicated to the sharing of regional and country experiences, including public health event management in the USA, Brazil, the United Kingdom and the Ukraine. The SHIPSAN Act – Joint Action was featured in this session, including the Q/As related to Ebola and the training initiatives of SHIPSAN. The fifth session used the draft document ‘Events management onboard ships’ as an introduction to an exercise to identify training needs and approaches to support building competencies in event management.

Public health emergency planning including collaboration at ports is a significant issue for all competent authorities: to support the importance of testing emergency plans, the sixth session discussed a comprehensive maritime exercise recently conducted at the Port of Barcelona, Spain. This was followed by a collaborative presentation from competent authorities at the Port of Lisbon, including an overview of the roles of all competent authorities, a case scenario related to a chemical spill at a port and the Port of Lisbon’s recent adoption of the ‘Single Window’. The participants also had the opportunity to have a demonstration traffic control system (including the “single window”) at the operation center at Lisbon port.

The final day provided participants the opportunity to share their experiences through a case study related to a case of Ebola onboard a ship. This was followed by key messages from the meeting and an evaluation. Participants who completed the written evaluation were very satisfied with the meeting and expressed their appreciation to the organizing team and the warm welcome from their Portuguese hosts.

You are invited to join PAGNet. You can become a "subscriber" by clicking the link "create new account" at the bottom of the "login box" on the main page. As "subscriber" you will get email notification about new items related to your "areas of interest" in the "News and events" section! At any time, you may modify your area of interest via the "subscriber menu - My account. You may be invited to and can contribute to the PAGNet in sharing progress, problems and challenges related to public health work at ports, airports and ground crossings. Institutional partners, including national public health and transport authorities, intergovernmental organizations and academic institutions involved in training and research related to public health, travel and transport are also welcome to participate. For further information on joining PAGNet, go to PAGNet Partnerships at https://extranet.who.int/pagnet/?q=content/pagnet-user-guide. 

Enrol via the website: Click here to access the enrolment form: http://surveys.shipsan.eu/index.php/981386/lang-en_

or email us for further information (it@shipsan.eu)

Port in focus

Port of Leixões, Portugal

By Dr. Nuno Rodrigues, Portugal

The Port of Leixões is situated in the north of Portugal, in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula, about 4 km north of the Douro River´s mouth. The port is located in Matosinhos Municipality (Porto Metropolitan Area) since XIX century and is the largest port infrastructure in the North of Portugal and one of the most important in the country. With 5 kilometers of quays, 10 main terminals, 55 acres of embankments and 120 hectares of wet area, Leixões has good sea access, road and railway infrastructures, as well as modern equipment and advanced computerized ship and cargo management system. It´s one of the most competitive and versatile port in the country, as Leixões go through about three thousand ships a year and all kinds of loads of which are: textiles, granites, wines, wood, automobiles, grain, container, scrap iron and steel, alcohol, brandy, sugar, oils, molasses, petroleum products and even passenger cruise ships.


Photo 1: Aerial view of the bascule bridge in Leixões Port. Source: APDL (www.apdl.pt)
The Port of Leixões has both oil and liquid bulk terminals built upon the submerged breakwater, stretching 700 meters in length by 15 meters height above sea level. It acts as barrier Port’s entrance and ultimately reduces the exposure of docked ships to harsh sea conditions. The Oil Terminal, connected to a near refinery by pipelines, has three piers.


Photo 2: View of the oil terminal. Source: APDL (www.apdl.pt)

The North and South Container Terminals have a total area of 22 hectares and have a combined handling capacity of 400.000 containers per year and a storing capacity of around 12.600 containers.
The Roll-on/Roll-off traffic takes place at Dock I North and also in the new multi-purpose terminal on the South Mole. These two platforms have a cargo capacity of 80 and 360 tons respectively. It also disposes of a storage area for approximately 100 trailers and in the south has available 8 ha of open storage area for support services.


Photo 3: Aerial view of the South Container Terminal. Source: APDL (www.apdl.pt)
Annually the Port of Leixões welcomes around 65 000 cruise ship passengers coming from all over the world, but mainly from the United Kingdom, Germany and United States of America. To fulfil this purpose Leixões features two cruise terminals. The older Leixões Passenger Terminal, regarded as an important architectural and historical heritage of the city of Matosinhos, is located at Dock 1 North. The new terminal is located on the South Mole of the port. The main Terminal has a 2.500 passengers in turnaround capacity and no stablished limit for passengers in transit. Some offices and experimental laboratories belonging to the Department of Science Production are also located in its premises.


Photo 4: View of the new South Cruise Terminal. It is also visible the fishing harbour. Source: APDL (www.apdl.pt)
The Yacht marina is sited in the beginning of the North Breakwater and is limited by the North, West and East (clubs) quays and Marigraph. It disposes of 248 berths for permanent mooring and an area of pontoons with a total length of 50 meters, allowing for the berthing of 4 to 5 yachts.
The Fishing Harbor is the leading fishing harbor in Portugal in terms of fish trading capacity. It allows the berthing of 46 trawlers and 20 trawl-boats at the same time. The level of innovation goes as far as the creation of a modern electronic auction computer system. The refrigerated warehouse has a storing capacity of 5,500 tons of fish.


Photo 5: Aerial view of the yatch marina and North Cruize Terminal. Source: APDL (www.apdl.pt)
The Port of Leixões is an authorized port under IHR/WHO for SSCC, SSCEC and extension of certificates.