KOTA KINABALU: The ‘Ocean Blue’ vessel berthed at Kota Kinabalu with 99 crew members tested positive for Covid-19, did not enter any ports managed by Sabah Ports Sdn Bhd (SPSB).
As such SPSB ports and manpower are not affected and the ports will continue to operate 24 hours around the clock as usual, SPSB clarified on Wednesday.
The company said all its ports have fully observed the standard operating procedures (SOP) issued by the Sabah State Government since the onset of the Movement Control Order.
Under the SOP, crew members are strictly prohibited from disembarking from their vessel and should remain onboard at all times unless under emergency situations.
Ship crew are further required to obtain a port health certificate before vessels are permitted to berth at the ports and thereafter undergo a mandatory ship sanitation process to stop the spread of Covid-19 within the ship environment.
To further minimize physical interaction, SPSB has encouraged the use of online channels for submission of documents to support contactless transactions.
SPSB hopes this statement helps to clarify any misconception that the ship had called at any one of SPSB ports and SPSB has been adhering to stringent SOPs to stop the spread of Covid-19 at the workplace.