COVID-19: Time at sea slashed for ships docking in Bunbury, Albany and Esperance by Southern Ports

International ships docking at Bunbury’s port will no longer be required to spend 14 days at sea, thanks to a change in protocol from its management. Previously, ships berthing at the port would have to spend a fortnight at sea before landing and unloading at Bunbury, but this regulation has been changed, meaning ships that can “provide evidence” of negative Rapid Antigen Tests will be allowed in. But crew members will not be permitted to disembark at the port as part of the amended protocols. It comes after the MV Ballard, a tanker carrying caustic soda from Manila to Bunbury, was directed by health authorities to drop anchor and wait at sea while as many as 18 of its 23 crew members recovered from COVID-19. The ship berthed and was cleaned at the port on Sunday, while one of the crew members disembarked at Bunbury as part of a pre-approved sign-off and is isolating in hotel quarantine until their flight out of Australia. Southern Ports chief executive Steve Lewis said the new measures were reflective of the shift towards learning to live with the virus. “As a State we are shifting our focus to reopening our borders and managing community transmission, so it was appropriate for us to review our COVID-19 protocols for shipping,” Mr Lewis said. “RATs have become a critical diagnostic tool and give us an enhanced opportunity to reduce the risk of COVID-19 for our staff, port users and our communities. “When we introduced the 14-day measure, self-testing on board was not available, so enforcing an isolation period for international vessels offered an additional layer of protection.” The new rules will also apply to ships arriving at the State’s two other Southern Ports-managed facilities at Albany and Esperance. An inbound vessel is required to provide proof of negative tests 24 hours before the scheduled pilot boarding time, while those unable to provide evidence will be required to wait until the ship has been at sea 14 days before it can dock. The latest COVID-19 figures for the South West saw the region record 15 new cases on Wednesday. WA Health is not currently monitoring any vessels.