Abu Dhabi Ports held a virtual roundtable workshop with port operators from across the Arabian Gulf, to tease out shared experiences, challenges faced and best practices when dealing with COVID-19, the company said in its release.
Hosted by video conference, and held in cooperation with the Arab Sea Ports Federation (ASPF) Regional Office based in Abu Dhabi, the agenda included presentations from Ports and Maritime Affairs – Bahrain, Mawani – Saudi Ports Authority, Kuwait Port Authority, Port of Salalah , as well as the port operators of Fujairah, Dubai and Sharjah and who all touched upon shared experiences relating to business continuity, health and safety, performance, and sea operations.
In a wide-ranging discussion, the port operators agreed on standardised sterilisation procedures when receiving vessels arriving from affected countries, preparedness to meet the challenges of COVID-19, and the measures and solutions required to create a post COVID-19 business environment.
The workshop was conducted in the presence of H.H. Sheikh Yousif Abdullah Al Subah, General Manager of Kuwait Port Authority and President of the Arab Sea Ports Federation (ASPF), who emphasised the necessity of having continuous discussions and coordination among ASPF members especially in times of difficulty: “Maritime trade serves as a vital lifeline for the entire global economy. Our meeting today reminds all those within our sector that we must not only commit to delivering business continuity and upholding the health and safety of our seafarers, but we must endeavour to take a flexible and open approach towards future plans relevant to the situation.
The hosting of the Arab Sea Ports Federation workshop is the latest effort by Abu Dhabi Ports in fighting COVID-19 following its successful ‘Horns of Hope’ solidary campaign which included the participation of many port operators from around the region and beyond.
Held in the presence of the Head of the Regional Office of Arab Sea Ports Federation, Abdulla Al Muharrami, the workshop programme was structured according to collated responses from questionnaires sent to the respective Arabian Gulf port operators.
The questions highlighted key challenges faced by coronavirus together with a range of potential solutions.