The EU commission recommends that during the emergency the ports allow the berthing with the ships of any flag



Yesterday the EU commission has diffused of the lines guides for the protection of the health and the repatriation of the marine ones, the passengers and other people on board of the ships in the within of the indications to the nations of the European Union on as coordinating the measures for the control of the spread of the Covid-19 virus, indications - it has specified the commissioner to the Transports, Adina Valean, having introduced the document - that they include prescription sanitary and recommendations for the change of the crews let alone the demand to the States of the EU to designate ports in which can happen a fast replacement of the crews and the exhortation regarding the companies crocieristiche to remember their responsibilities towards own customers and dependent.

Relatively to the cruise ships, in fact, the lines guide remember exactly that the responsibility to organize I re-enter of the passengers and of the members of the crew of the cruise ships is up to the crocieristiche companies, responsibility that - it is emphasized - can include the repatriation from the ports situated to out of the EU and, in particular, the organization of all the necessary charter flights or other means of transport.

The lines guide specify that for the ships clappers flag of a Member States of the EU, the State of flag would have to allow with the passengers and the crew to disembark in one of its ports and that the Member States would have to support the crocieristica company in taking the necessary dispositions for the repatriation and the access to adapted medical cures. If the State of flag is able to not to accommodate a ship - the lines clarify guide - this State would have to offer to assistance to the companies in taking agreements with other Member States of the EU or with Third-country. In particular, the dispositions would have to reduce lessened the time in which the ship it at the same time remains in sea supplying good medical infrastructures and connections of transport for the repatriations.

The document of the EU commission explains moreover that if the cruise ship fly flag of a Country third, the States EU would have however to receive it for humanitarian reasons. In such cases - the lines specify guide - it is recommended to demand to the crocieristica company adequate dispositions of nature financial institution and logistics, as for example the put on one of personal protective apparatus, of structures for the quarantine, the chartering of bus and charter flights, and this before the cruise ship you berth in port. The document clarifies moreover that if were not reached to such agreements, the transfer would have however to be taken in consideration the sure and fast disembarkation of the people of the ship and on board to be facilitated some at home.

As for the people contaminated from Covid-19 present on board of the cruise ships, the lines guide explain that the State of landing place must take in consideration the disembarkation whereby the hospitals or temporary the sanitary structures nearby have the sufficient ability in order to supply adequate medical cures. The passengers and members of the crew do not infect or asymptomatic, instead, once disembarked would have to be carried in structures of quarantine, if this is necessary for controls medical, or repatriated.

Always relatively to the cruise ships, the precise document that, for those with on board city of the EU that they must berth in Third-country, the Member States can activate the unionale Mechanism of civil protection as last resource, for example if they are not available flights commercial airplane.

The lines guide of the Commission supply also relative recommendations to the transit and the disembarkation of the passengers and the crew for all the types of ships. Between these, the document explains that in order to facilitate the transit of the citizens of the EU and the titular third-country nationals of a residence permit or a visa for stay of long duration that re-enters in their Member States of nationality or residence, the Member States would have to identify adequate ports that can be connected to corridors of instituted transit of sure passage in compliance with the communication on the performance of the preferred lanes. To such purpose the lines guide specify among other things that, whereby temporary difficulties prevent the immediate repatriation of third-country nationals because of the restrictions taxes from the Country of nationality, the crocieristiche companies or the shipowners would have, online with their obligations, to find agreements with the State of landing place in order to guarantee a sure stay to these people, and this would have to include the access to medical cures and adapted lodgings, for which the state authorities can have the right to ask a compensation the operator for the ship.

Sul topic to take it in turns of the crews of the ships, the lines guide restates among other things that marine, as the personal essential thing, would have to be free from the travel restrictions when they are in transit towards the port in which they assume own functions. The more important innovation introduced in the new document introduced from the EU commission regarding the precedence recommendations turned to the Member States consists in the designation of ports in which being able to carry out the change of the crew. The document explains that, in consultation with the Commission, the Member States would have, in coordination between they, to designate several ports in the European Union for the fast change of the crew. Such ports would have to be geographically dispersed so as to cover entire the EU and would have to be connected to operating airports and train stations. Moreover the Member States would have to preview the possibility to activate connections railway airplane and dedicated or regular in order to guarantee the necessary connections of transport for the changes of crew. The ports designated to the change of the crews must nearby also have lodgings in which the marine ones they could attend the arrival of the ship on which embarking or their flight, train or ship if these do not leave in the same day of their disembarkation from the ship. The lodging would have moreover to allow to undergo to 14 days of quarantine before the boarding and after the disembarkation if the Member States demands it and if the tests in order to verify the positività or less to the virus are not available.

These and the other recommendations turned from the EU commission to the Member States so that they facilitate the displacements and the necessities of the marine ones and of the passengers of the ships are received with absolute favor from the European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA): "the ECSA - the general secretary of the association of the European shipowners has remembered, Martin Dorsman - has worked to tightened contact with the EU commission with respect to such issue, with our social part, the European Federation of the workers of the transports. Being the well-being of the crew and the passengers our main priority, the lines guide serves sure as a basis for the changes that must happen in the field. Our associates will work to tightened contact with the national authorities in order to verify that the procedure established in the guidelines is put in existence and sure we will transmit our feedback to European level. From part its, the ECSA will continue to collaborate with the institutions of the EU in order to assure that all the Member States adopt an approach coordinated regarding the performance of the lines guide of the Commission".