quarantine restrictions Archives - Maritime Shipping News

Cathay Pacific restarts limited cargo service after COVID pause

6 January 2022

A white jumbo jet with teal colored tail and Cathay Pacific Cargo lettering.

Cathay Pacific will partially resume long-haul cargo service on Friday following a week-long suspension tied to Hong Kong’s more aggressive quarantine measures for cockpit crews and operate at about a fifth of its pre-pandemic cargo capacity for the month of January, FreightWaves has learned.

The combination airline last week grounded freighters serving the Middle East, Europe, North America and Southwest Pacific after health authorities increased the quarantine period for Hong Kong-domiciled...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/cathay-pacific-restarts-limited-cargo-service-after-covid-pause

Cathay Pacific suspends cargo flights as Hong Kong tightens COVID rules

31 December 2021

A white Cathay Pacific 747 jumbo jet with green tail turns on the runway.

Cathay Pacific has suspended all long-haul freighter and cargo-only passenger flights for a week after Hong Kong authorities extended the quarantine period for arriving air cargo crews from three to seven days, the airline confirmed.

The decision is another gut punch to an airline reeling from a massive contraction in passenger business because of strict COVID-19 measures in the semi-autonomous city and represents a loss of significant cargo capacity for shippers faced with tight supply...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/cathay-pacific-suspends-cargo-flights-as-hong-kong-tightens-covid-rules

FedEx shutters Hong Kong pilot base over COVID restrictions

19 November 2021

Purple tail fins of FedEx planes parked at airport.

FedEx Express is abandoning its pilot base in Hong Kong because of restrictive COVID health and travel rules that make it difficult for the parcel carrier’s airline to operate efficiently.

In late January, FedEx (NYSE: FDX) relocated at significant expense about 180 of its Hong Kong-domiciled pilots and their families to San Francisco so they wouldn’t be subject to lengthy quarantines required by Hong Kong authorities after returning from trips. The express delivery company said at the time that...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fedex-shutters-hong-kong-pilot-base-over-covid-restrictions

Quarantine Restrictions For Bunker-Only Calls Eases in Hong Kong

16 June 2021

Quarantine Restrictions For Bunker-Only Calls Eases in Hong Kong, says an article on Safety4sea.

To ease strict quarantine restrictions imposed on vessels
Hong Kong’s bunkering industry significantly affected by the strict 14-day quarantine

To ease strict quarantine restrictions

Hong Kong authorities announced they would ease strict quarantine restrictions imposed on vessels calling at the Asian shipping hub.s Reuters reports, from June 15, the crew of non-cargo goods vessels visiting Hong Kong...

https://mfame.guru/quarantine-restrictions-for-bunker-only-calls-eases-in-hong-kong/

Hong Kong relaxes COVID rules for cargo pilots

19 April 2021

A white 747 jumbo jet with a green tail operated by Cathay Pacific Cargo sits on a wet tarmac.

The government of Hong Kong announced Friday it has loosened requirements for Hong Kong-based aircrews to quarantine after returning home from duty, removing a major operational burden for all-cargo airlines such as Cathay Pacific and FedEx Express (NYSE: FDX).

The mandate for crews operating freighters and cargo-only passenger aircraft to segregate will be lifted for pilots and other onboard personnel who are fully vaccinated, the government said. The new policy excludes aircrews that layover...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/hong-kong-relaxes-covid-rules-for-cargo-pilots

UPS pilots ask for more precautions to slow COVID cases

30 October 2020

A white UPS jet with brown tail sits on ramp on sunny day.

The union representing 3,000 UPS pilots says the number of members testing positive for COVID has significantly increased and complained the express carrier is not doing enough to protect air crews or bring them home when sick or hospitalized abroad.

More than 100 pilots are currently in quarantine compared to between 30 and 70 at any given time since the coronavirus pandemic began early this year, Brian Gaudet, spokesman for the Independent Pilots Association, told FreightWaves.

IPA President...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/ups-pilots-ask-for-more-precautions-to-slow-covid-cases

COVID outbreak threatens to delay ocean, air shipments in Australia

5 August 2020

A white and red Qantas plane at airport at night. Qantas has closed a warehouse because of a COVID scare.

New measures to contain a surge of COVID-19 cases in Victoria, Australia, have resulted in the continued closure of Qantas Airways’ two freight terminals at Melbourne airport and concerns of logistics bottlenecks for the port and delivery businesses.

Qantas Freight’s Melbourne cargo warehouses will remain closed until at least midnight Thursday, the company said on its website. The airline’s cargo arm hasn’t provided a reason for the temporary shutdown that began two days ago, but indications...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/covid-outbreak-threatens-to-delay-ocean-air-shipments-in-australia

IMO: Help get seafarers home

14 July 2020

International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Kitack Lim is urging member states to join the 13 that last week signed a pledge to help get more than 200,000 seafarers repatriated.

The IMO has said those seafarers have spent months beyond their contracts stuck on ships because of travel restrictions put in place during the coronavirus pandemic. A similar number of seafarers are waiting to board ships and begin work, according to the IMO.

The joint statement issued last week calls for...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/imo-help-get-seafarers-home