SHANGHAI, March 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — On March 4, 2020, Beyond Shipping and New York Shipping Exchange united multiple shipping companies to issue a joint proposal appealing for treating goods from China without discrimination.
Earlier this year, the sudden outbreak of COVID-19 aroused attention of international trade and shipping communities. The Chinese government has been taking rigorous prevention and control measures to ensure people’s safety and health as well as the smooth development of economic activities.
On January 31, the Ministry of Transport of the People’s Republic of China released an emergency notice that port enterprises should take scientific and rational steps to arrange production and operations. It is strictly prohibited to prevent cargo ships from berthing or keep them in anchorage for 14 days in the name of epidemic control. Meanwhile, some Port of States have also raised requirements for inspection and quarantine to prevent the spread of the epidemic. However, it has been rumored that vessels which have been to China in the last 15 days would be denied to offload cargo, even if there are no suspected cases or sick crew onboard. Similar news worried many small shipping companies, shippers and freight forwarders. Some people are in a panic and cannot judge the truth. In fact, the United States is not rejecting shipments from China.
Under such circumstances, Beyond Shipping and New York Shipping Exchange, united with multiple shipping companies, including COSCO SHIPPING Lines, Sinotrans Container Lines, CMA CGM(China), Guangzhou Port Group, Worldex Group, Worldwide Logistics Group, Neptune Supply Chain Technology Limited, EZ SHIPPING, SYNTRANS GROUP, JIAHE LOGISTICS CO., LTD, CASA CHINA LIMITED, UBI LOGISTICS GROUP, ZheJiang Penavico International Logistics Co.,Ltd., BEN LINE AGENCIES CHINA,LF Logistics (China) Co., Ltd. , SAFROUND LOGISTICS GROUP, NANJING NORTH STAR INTERNATIONAL FREIGHT FORWARDER CO LTD, co-sponsor the following :
1.Shippers and freight forwarders shall not reject goods from China.
According to the statement from World Health Organization and National Center for Humanization and Respiratory Diseases of the United States, coronaviruses do not survive long on objects. The risk of spreading virus by products or packages which have been travelled at seas for several days is very low. Therefore, goods exporting from China could not carry virus. It suggests that shippers and freight forwarders shall not reject goods from China.
2.Shippers and freight forwarders shall not worry too much about the health of shipping companies’ employees and crews.
Many shipping companies have issued health and safety guidelines and epidemic prevention supplies to Chinese employees, informing them to take necessary precautionary measures. Shipping companies have also established emergency report system to make every effort to ensure the safety and health of employees, while not allowing any sick crews on board. Shippers and freight forwarders do not need to worry too much about the health of employees and crews. Otherwise, goods will not be affected either.
3.Please do not believe rumors and overreact.
Shipping companies continue to operate uninterrupted as per usual. If there is any operational adjustments for the sake of epidemic control, It’s believed that shipping companies will notify shippers and freight forwarder timely. Please do not believe rumors and overreact.
SOURCE Beyond Shipping
