Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, China's busiest port, has adopted a three-color code based on big data to label international ships in different conditions so as to prevent the spread of the coronavirus when ships enter the port.
The "health code for arriving international navigation ships" has been published on a maritime supervision service platform. An exclusive identification code would be generated one day before the ship arrives at the port, thus minimizing the impact on port operation.
Ningbo-Zhoushan Port saw cargo throughput exceed 1.1 billion tonnes in 2019. This makes the port in east China's Zhejiang Province the only one in the world to exceed such volume, according to statistics released by the Zhejiang port and shipping management center.
The port receives an average of 24,000 international ships each year.
The prevention and control measures corresponding to the three colors are different. The red code marks ships with three different conditions: first, the ship has called at or sailed through countries or regions with a serious epidemic situation within the past 14 days; second, the ship has called at or sailed through countries or regions with high epidemic risks within the past 14 days; third, the ship has crew members with abnormal body temperatures.
If ships meet the above criteria but the interval time is more than 14 days and less than one month, they will be marked yellow, and the remaining ships will be marked green.
If the health code of a ship is red, the maritime department will immediately require its crew members to undertake body temperature testing, properly handle the garbage and sewage generated by the ship, and at the same time notify the relevant ship agency and other units to implement preventive measures.
It is reported that Ningbo-Zhoushan Port has completed the investigation of 79 ships, and 29 of them are marked with red codes. So far, no ship has been delayed due to the epidemic.
