Page 34 - 2021 - Q2 - Minerva in Focus

MARITIME TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION

Protecting people

from infectious diseases

In response to and soon after the global outbreak of COVID-19, Response Measures to COVID-19 for the Marine and Offshore
ABS launched comprehensive guidance on sanitizing and de- Industries provides best practice guidelines for sanitizing assets
contaminating marine and offshore assets exposed to COVID-19 exposed to COVID-19. It is part of a series of guidance resources
aimed at providing confidence for operators. provided by the world’s leading class and certification authority
that helps owners and operators meet the many challenges the
COVID-19 has highlighted how marine and offshore assets can virus brings by addressing an asset’s physical arrangements and
be affected by infectious diseases requiring robust procedures operating procedure to allow the isolation and segregation of
and protocols to protect the health and well-being of seafarers crew and visiting personnel.
and passengers while keeping day-to-day operations safe. Given The best practices document helps to answer a range of urgent
that the environment on marine and offshore assets is confined, practical questions, including how to prevent an asset from get-
infectious diseases can potentially spread rapidly and affect sig- ting contaminated, how to maintain it in a sanitized state, how
nificant proportions of the personnel on board. to decontaminate it when there is a COVID-19 case onboard, and
As carriers of 90% of world trade volumes, the fortunes of the considerations for the choice, use, and disposal of cleaning and
commercial shipping sector and its supply chain are directly tied disinfecting products.
to those of the global economy. ABS has focussed on keeping the We have gone further, exploring how the physical arrangement of
industry working amidst the challenges posed by the pandemic, a marine or offshore asset can act to mitigate the transmission of
providing industry-leading guidance on cleansing vessels and infectious disease. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, this is
offshore assets of infection and a risk-based framework to help an urgent question for global shipping, which ABS has addressed
organizations develop a proactive plan to restart operations with with the publication of the ABS Guide for Mitigation of Infectious
enhanced working practices that address the ‘new normal’ busi- Disease Transmission on Board Marine and Offshore Assets. And,
ness environment after the pandemic. in an industry first, we have introduced a new notation indicating
compliance with the standards.
We undertook a joint development project with Samsung Heavy
Industries (SHI) to develop designs for crew accommodations and
ventilation systems that could mitigate the spread of infectious
diseases. We followed this with another industry first when we
granted SHI Approval-in-Principle for such designs, applying the
principles in the Mitigation Guide to a crude oil tanker, a contain-
er carrier, and an LNG carrier.
By considering these issues at the design stage of an asset,
the effectiveness of operational measures can be significantly
increased. In a recent poll conducted by ABS, approximately one-
third of participants said they are considering changing future
marine or offshore asset design or altering current assets to
better prevent or manage an outbreak on board.
ABS is constantly reinforcing its commitment to safety and the
An article by George Zindros continuity of vital industry operations. Through innovations, key
Manager, partnerships, and a strengthened focus on shipowner needs, ABS
Business Development, ABS continues and expands its industry support.

32 MINERVA IN FOCUS – ISSUE 16 / Q2 2021