Following the global outbreak of Coronavirus (Covid-19) in the recent months, the day to day life routines of many countries have been disturbed, and economic activities have been affected significantly as well.

According to the statistics published by World Health Organization (WHO), the total number of Coronavirus cases has passed 4.6 million by May 19, 2020, and unfortunately, over 312 thousand persons have lost their lives as a result of the effects of the disease. Following the widespread outbreak of this disease in Iran, similar to many other countries, a considerable number of businesses were driven to closure or experienced a considerable reduction in their activities. Meanwhile, considering the vital role of ports and maritime industry in supplying the crucial needs of the society and maintaining the steady stream of goods supply, Tidewater Middle East Co. implemented health protocols strictly since the start of Coronavirus (Covid-19) situation in the previous winter to prevent the personnel of operational and staff units from contracting the disease, maintaining the continuous working process of the Principal Company and the subsidiary companies in the northern and southern ports of Iran. Fortunately, as a result of the monitoring performed for execution of the aforementioned protocols, and the strict compliance of the staff of different units with the aforementioned protocols, the prevention of the disease has been accomplished satisfactorily right from the start, and as a result, the company’s operation has not been affected. Subsequently, a brief description of the measures adopted within the Principal Company and the subsidiary companies is provided below.

1. Participation in the briefings hosted by the state authorities in order to maintain complete preparedness, as well as to unite all of the administrative and operation units for the fight against the potential spread of this virus and adoption of preventative measures, particularly for relations with the ship staff entering the country
2. Needs assessment, supplying, and teaching the usage methods of personal safety equipment, as well as continuous distribution of face masks and latex gloves among staff.
3. Cooperating with the teams of the ports’ health and safety units, and executing control measures such as monitoring the personnel and other people entering operational and staff areas for fever using infrared medical thermometers day and night, as well as equipping the companies with medical thermometers to monitor shift employees’ commute service vehicles.
4. Supplying hand antiseptic solutions for compliance with personal health, especially for operational staff, offices, and recreational areas
5. Changing the staff entry and exit system from fingerprint systems to keycard entry systems by purchasing magnetic cards and distributing said cards to personnel in order to prevent the staff’s hands from touching a common surface with the probability of contamination
6. Raising public awareness among staff regarding the Coronavirus disease by sending educational content via messenger apps by the HSE units; installing notices on bulletin boards, as well as personnel’s recreation areas to present information regarding the ways of transmission of respiratory diseases, especially the Coronavirus disease, as well as to raise awareness about the methods by which this disease can be prevented at its different stages
7. Increasing the supply of detergents for bathrooms, and disinfecting public facilities
8. Supplying antiseptics for staff when the staff are entering the commune service vehicles at the end of their shift
9. Purchasing sprayers and performing daily and routine environment disinfection on facilities, equipment, etc. to prevent and control the spread of Coronavirus
10. Supplying surface disinfectant solutions and distributing them among service staff to disinfect work offices, as well as frequently used surfaces and objects
11. Canceling all educational programs until further notice to decrease encounters and prevent non-essential gatherings
12. Disallowing entry of personnel exhibiting symptoms of common cold and Coronavirus to the Company environment, as well as sending the personnel to health centers for the necessary checkups
13. Canceling in-person meetings to the extent possible, and hosting virtual meetings to prevent the spread of Coronavirus disease
14. Disinfecting vehicle keys and handles, as well as other operational equipment
15. Inspecting kitchens to control and monitor health and safety compliance.
16. Sending personnel to laboratory units for Coronavirus tests after their leave of absence.
17. Thorough and routine washing of the surface of security posts Conex boxes
18. Routine visits by the safety official to the personnel accommodation sites 2 or 3 times per week.