The UK government will provide a nine-week £35 million ($42 million) subsidy to ferry operators on cross-channel freight routes and those linking Britain and Ireland to keep vital cargo corridors open until the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is under control and passenger revenue returns.

Agreements have been signed between the government and six ferry companies to ensure there is enough freight capacity to prevent disruption to the flow of essential food and medical supplies, much of which enters or leaves the UK via the port of Dover.

The Calais-Dover trade corridor handles 75 percent of all roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) freight arriving by ferry from Europe every year, or more than 4 million accompanied trucking units per year, according to UK government statistics. An estimated 14,000 trucks cross the UK-EU border points in total every day, about half of those passing through the port of Dover that handles 17 percent of the UK’s total trade in goods.

Robert Keen, director general of the British International Freight Association (BIFA), said the ferry routes that connected the UK with mainland Europe and Ireland were a key link in the supply chain.

“Given the critical importance of ferry services to the European trailer services operated by freight forwarders that belong to BIFA, we hope the package … is enough to ensure the cross channel freight sector is able to provide sufficient capacity and resilience over the coming days and weeks,” he said in a statement welcoming the government support.

Lack of passengers erases life-supporting revenue

Travel bans and stay-at-home orders have cut virtually all passenger traffic from the ferries, and the operators cannot survive with only freight revenue. P&O Ferries, a DP World subsidiary that transports 15 percent of all goods between the UK and Europe, suspended all passenger transport in March, laying up vessels and focusing on moving essential freight on accompanied and unaccompanied trucks. 

The UK government relief package was made to protect 16 of the most important routes that cover the English Channel, the Short Strait between Calais and Dover, the North Sea, and routes between the UK and Northern Ireland. The routes were all at risk of closure but will now be designated as Public Service Obligation routes for up to nine weeks.

Ferry trade association Interferry said in a statement at the weekend that reopening ferry services to non-essential travel was crucial for the viability of many ferry companies.

“Passenger traffic has been virtually non-existent during the pandemic, with operators reduced to maintaining lifeline supplies of essential goods in the face of ever-mounting financial losses,” said Interferry CEO Mike Corrigan. “We welcome the growing signs in Europe and beyond that COVID-19 lockdown restrictions are starting to be eased.”

The UK, French, and Irish governments have pledged to work together on temporary measures to ensure the coronavirus does not threaten vital freight routes between the countries.

Source: https://www.joc.com/maritime-news/uk-keeps-ferry-cargo-shipping-covid-19-subsidy_20200518.html

Norwegian and Russian military and civilian rescuers have announced that Exercise Barents 2020 is cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic.

The unique annual cross-border search-and-rescue exercise normally takes place in the maritime border areas of Norway and Russia in the Barents Sea. It is one of very few arenas where NATO personnel are working side-by-side with assets from Russia’s powerful Northern Fleet.

“We have decided not to conduct Exercise Barents 2020, supposed to take place on May 27th. This in full understanding with the partners in Russia,” Bente Jonassen at the Norwegian Joint Rescue Centres told the Barents Observer.

The two countries considered postponing the exercise until autumn, but such option was ultimately seen as unrealistic, she said.

“Norway is now planning and responsible for Exercise Barents 2021,” Jonassen says.

Last year, the Northern Fleet participated with its tug Altai as well as a Ka-27 helicopter and a Il-38 maritime surveillance aircraft. FSB’s border guard’s ship Zapolariye also assisted.

The exercise employed a realistic scenario with a vessel sinking and people are reported missing at sea. In the start, the Russian assets works on the east side of the maritime border line, while the Norwegians are on the west side. Then, if permissions are granted, Russian ships can sail across to Norwegian waters and vice-versa.

After the search-and-rescue part is ended, the exercise turns into an oil-spill scenario with testing of various equipment to prevent oil from spreading in the harsh Arctic climate.

Norway and Russia share responsibility for the exercise bi-annually and since the 2020 drill is cancelled, Norway will take the lead next year.

Source: https://www.arctictoday.com/covid-19-cancels-joint-russian-norwegian-cross-border-rescue-exercise/

BEIJING ASSERTS SOVEREIGNTY

Sino-Vietnamese tensions reached a new high in mid-April when Hanoi protested Beijing’s move to declare two new administrative districts in the contested South China Sea. Beijing’s decision to create the Nansha and Xisha districts, encompassing the Spratly and Paracel Islands respectively, follows an incident on April 4 when Vietnam formally accused a Chinese Coast Guard vessel of ramming and sinking a Vietnamese fishing boat. This represents the most recent point of contention between China and Vietnam, threatening to further destabilise a region plagued by maritime territorial disputes.

Though Sino-Vietnamese tensions in the South China Sea are nothing new, recent events raise significant questions as to how and to what extent Vietnam will shape a unified Southeast Asian response to China when it chairs the upcoming Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in June. Although at the start of this year it appeared inevitable that ASEAN would take a more confrontational stance against China, the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic in Southeast Asia makes a united ASEAN response uncertain. Despite growing uncertainty regarding ASEAN cohesion during the COVID-19 crisis, the potential for unilateral retaliation by Vietnam remains.

OLD DISPUTES, EVOLVING DIMENSIONS

Sino-Vietnamese tensions in the South China Sea can be traced back to 1974, when Chinese forces seized a portion of the Paracel Islands from South Vietnamese control. Though the sovereignty dispute over the Spratly and Paracel Islands has remained an underlying issue through the early 21st century, tensions between Beijing and Hanoi have noticeably worsened since the late 2000s, when both governments began to more actively exploit South China Sea resources and aggressively police the regions encompassing these resources. Moreover, Chinese President Xi Jinping has pursued a more aggressive, nationalistic strategy regarding these sovereignty disputes, namely by directing land reclamation or “island building” efforts in the Spratlys. In response, Vietnam has indicated its intention to be more assertive in its sovereignty claims in the region. Intensifying rhetoric and increasingly frequent provocation by both sides has resulted in several high-profile diplomatic incidents such as the China-Vietnam oil rig standoff of 2014.

Several economic and geopolitical factors drive competition over the maritime features. The waters encompassed by the two regions host lucrative fishing and hydrocarbon resources. The Vietnamese economy and workforce uniquely rely on access to fishing grounds in the region, where Chinese fishing fleets are also active. Multiple claimants are also exploring the area for energy resources, generation significant friction.

The Spratlys and Paracels play a critical role in international trade. More than $3 trillion in trade cargo passes through the South China Sea each year, including more than 80% of Vietnam’s total trade. Due to the high volume of Vietnamese goods passing through the region, maintaining unrestricted shipping lanes and protecting freedom of navigation is critically important for the Vietnamese economy. As such, it is likely that policymakers in Hanoi fear that ceding control of the Spratlys and Paracels to China would allow Beijing to threaten the Vietnamese economy by restricting this critical trade flow.

The island regions have also become essential geostrategic and economic assets for China. In its efforts to consolidate administrative control of the majority of the South China Sea, Beijing has constructed radar facilities, harbours, surface-to-air missile silos, and other critical military and dual-use infrastructure on several contested features it administers. These facilities in the Spratlys and the Paracels allow China to apply more directed coercive pressure in Southeast Asia, solidifying its role as a regional security hegemon. Moreover, they enable China to monitor and protect its vital shipping lanes from interference — particularly from the US. Beijing therefore has a strong incentive to expand its administrative control from a select number of islands to the entire set of maritime features encompassed in the Spratly and Paracel regions.

WITH ASEAN NEUTERED, VIETNAM LEFT ON ITS OWN

Southeast Asian states’ dependence on Chinese trade and investment disincentivises any unified pushback against Beijing’s actions in the South China Sea. This phenomenon has been magnified during the COVID-19 pandemic, as many Southeast Asian governments are now dependent on Chinese donations of essential medical supplies. However, unlike other ASEAN states, Vietnam has been remarkably successful at mitigating the spread of COVID-19, largely preventing a domestic crisis and eliminating a need for Chinese assistance. This has created a sharp disconnect between Vietnam and other powerful regional actors. Although Vietnam and the Philippines have expressed outrage at China’s decision to establish the Nansha and Xisha districts, Malaysia and the Philippines have each praised Beijing for providing medical aid. Indonesia has been less vocal in praising Beijing for providing aid, but it remains dependent on Chinese shipments of COVID-19 test kits and personal protective equipment. This disunity between Vietnam and the rest of ASEAN, prompted by China’s “mask diplomacy”, suggests that producing a unified condemnation of Chinese actions in the South China Sea at the upcoming ASEAN Summit in Vietnam will be exceedingly difficult.

Hanoi appears to recognise that any regional appetite for confrontation has vanished, and it appears unlikely that Vietnam will even attempt to force a condemnation of China at the June summit. In a press conference on April 23, a spokesperson for the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated that ASEAN, and by extension Vietnam, had committed to “refrain from acts that may complicate the situation and facilitate the efforts of states to combat the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic.” The spokesperson did not explicitly say whether Vietnam considers condemning Chinese action in the South China Sea a potentially complicating act. However, the broad scope of this commitment by ASEAN and the praise other ASEAN members have heaped on China for providing medical aid suggest that Vietnam will refrain from prioritising such a controversial issue at the ASEAN Summit.

Sino-Vietnamese tensions in the South China Sea are not going anywhere, and broader regional disagreements over maritime sovereignty could boil over into destabilising conflict in the future. However, due to both the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis and the importance of Chinese medical aid to ASEAN members, ASEAN as a whole will downplay South China Sea disputes until the pandemic subsides. That said, Vietnam will likely continue to apply unilateral pushback against China for its actions in the South China Sea.

Source: https://foreignbrief.com/asia-pacific/south-east-asia/covid-19-asean-and-the-sino-vietnam-maritime-rivalry/

The Port of Seattle has been responding to the outbreak of 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) since late January after public health officials confirmed the first case of the virus in the United States in Washington state.

Since then the Port has implemented protocols to maintain the health, safety, and well-being of our employees, travelers, and community members who use Port facilities while maintaining the essential functions of the Port.

The Port of Seattle supports efforts to limit the spread of the Coronavirus while maintaining essential operations. In response to Governor Jay Inslee’s “stay at home” order issued on March 23, 2020, Port of Seattle Commission President Peter Steinbrueck made the following comment: “Critical Port facilities and operations are still open. We are doing everything we can to support those staying home while keeping Port facilities safe for those who do essential work.”

Travelers should check with their airline for specific flight information.

Port-wide

• The Port Commission updated its 2020 construction plans to boost local COVID-19 economic recovery through project spending and hiring while enacting public health protocols developed with guidance from state and federal agencies.
  • For more details, read the full announcement.
• The Port will provide rent relief for qualifying business tenants and customers throughout its maritime and landside properties, which include office, retail, and restaurants, along with recreational and commercial moorage.
  • For more details, read the full announcement.
• On April 1, 2020, the Port of Seattle Commission approved an immediate, short-term emergency financial relief package for airport-based businesses, barred evictions of tenants at Port of Seattle facilities (including live-aboard residents) due to an inability to pay rent through June 30, 2020.
  • Read more about the additional relief and recovery strategies for Port tenants.
  • Download COVID-19-related relief and recovery updates from the Port

At Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

• Effective May 18, the Port will require all passengers, visitors, and airport workers to wear face coverings over their mouths and noses in public areas of the airport, subject to certain limited exceptions, until further notice. This recommendation is consistent with local health authorities’ orders and guidance, as well as the policies of our airline partners that are requiring passengers to wear face coverings while in a gate area and onboard flights.
  • For more details including applicable exceptions, read the Port’s policy.
• Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is open and operating to provide an essential service to the public, but it is not business as usual right now. We made operational adjustments at SEA in response to COVID-19.
• People are traveling less. The airport is serving an average of 6,300 departing passengers per day compared to over 50,000 normally this time of year. Overall daily flights are down by two-thirds. Airlines suspended international flights and reduced service, totaling almost 700 canceled international flights in April. Airlines flying domestic routes significantly reduced flights across networks.
• CARES Act Airport Grand Funding: SEA was awarded $192M in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation as part of the CARES Act to offset financial damage due to the unexpected drop in air travel and to limit the spread of COVID-19. Our airport team is working to complete a utilization plan for the grants.
• Beginning March 24, 2020, the Port will not collect per-trip fees charged to on-demand taxi and flat rate hire operators for a period of 90 days. We will be determining the period for repayment and other details.
• Read SEA Airport status updates and COVID-19 FAQs for more information.

The Port, public health organizations, and federal partners are taking the following actions to help prevent the spread of the virus and keep travelers and employees safe:

• We have made many operational adjustments at SEA in response to the changing public health landscape. Here’s how the Port is keeping our facilities clean and safe.
• The Port has installed 240 hand sanitizers in and around the terminal. Traveling right now? Find the closest hand sanitizer to your gate.
• The Department of Homeland Security issued a notice of arrival restrictions outlining the process for American citizens, legal permanent residents, and their immediate families who are returning home after recently visiting high-risk countries. Learn more about international arrival protocols during the coronavirus response.
• The CDC, Customs and Border Protection Agency, the Port fire department, and other airport partners have infectious disease response plans in place that are reviewed, practiced, and updated throughout the year.

At Maritime Facilities

• Maintaining the health, safety, and well-being of our community is the Port’s top priority. The cruise season will be delayed until the resolution of the public health emergency.
  • Read more about the delay of the 2020 cruise season and 2020 cruise season FAQs.
  • On April 9, 2020, the CDC extended the No Sail Order for all cruise ships. For more details, read the full announcement.
• Shilshole Bay Marina (SBM) has implemented the following measures to support the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” emergency order. Non-liveaboard moorage customers should only visit the SBM if your trip is essential. For more details, read the SBM COVID-19 Operations Update.
• Commercial fishing facilities are essential and will remain open to provide moorage, infrastructure, storage, and equipment services to the Commercial Fishing Fleets at Terminal 91 and Fishermen’s Terminal during COVID-19.
  • Some businesses at Fisherman’s Terminal are open and operating under proper protocols while the North Pacific Fishing Fleet prepares for the fishing season. For more details, read the Fisherman Terminal COVID-19 Operations Update.
• The Port closed parking lots at Jack Block, Terminal 107, and Terminal 105 parks to support the statewide “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order and discourage gatherings. Reminders on what’s open, closed, and best practices if you plan to visit maritime parks and marinas, read the Safe and Healthy On Shore and Off blog.
• Daily enhanced cleaning protocols have been implemented to prevent the spread of coronavirus at Port maritime and marine maintenance facilities including:
  • Providing hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes for self-cleaning of desks, shops, Port vehicles
  • Disinfecting high-touch surfaces and floors throughout facilities, including kitchens, handrails, doorknobs, offices, conference rooms, and restrooms
• The CDC is the main federal response agency for maritime vessels. The United States Coast Guard has forwarded precautionary information to vessel owners/operators and local stakeholders.
• The Northwest Seaport Alliance and Washington state ports are in communication with each other and the United States Coast Guard (USCG) through the USCG Area Maritime Security Committee (AMSC), which was established to be prepared for events such as this.

For Employees and Community Partners

The Port is working to minimize the spread of coronavirus and keep employees at our facilities informed by:

• Optimizing telework for our Port workforce.
• Creating public videos about COVID-19 response and making them available to all airport employees via YouTube.
• Printing a COVID-19 fact sheet for airport employees, translated into multiple languages.
• Reviewing large gatherings, events, celebrations, or tours scheduled to occur on Port properties.
• Hosting Port of Seattle Commission meetings virtually until the public health crisis subsides.
• We are adjusting our Port Commission meeting public comment protocol due to the Governor’s ‘Stay at Home’ order. There will be no physical location and the Port will not accept in-person, verbal comments during meetings. Those wishing to provide public comment will have the opportunity to:
  • Deliver public comments via email: All written comments received by email to commission-public-records@portseattle.org will be distributed to Commissioner and attached to the approved minutes.
  • Deliver public comment via phone or Skype for Business conference: To take advantage of this option, please email commission-public-records@portseattle.org with your name and the topic you wish to speak to by 9:00 a.m. PT on Tuesday, May 12. You will then be provided with a link to join the Skype meeting.

How You Can Stay Healthy

Public health officials recommend personal hygiene and frequent hand washing as the best way to prevent illness.

• Wash your hands frequently, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, then throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands.
• Avoid contact with people who are sick and stay home when sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
• If you are traveling overseas, follow the CDC’s guidance.
• Check-in with your airline if you have questions about your travel itinerary.
• While not protective against novel coronavirus, public health officials also recommend the influenza vaccine. It’s not too late to get an influenza vaccine since flu season can last into spring.Source: https://www.portseattle.org/news/updates-ports-covid-19-response