Global Health Emergency Guide

The ICS Global Health Emergency Guide: Helping Shipping Companies Prepare, Act and Recover provides a comprehensive and practical framework for shipping companies to get ahead and prepare for any future global health emergency. Drawing on lessons learned from Covid-19 and other global health emergencies that have affected shipping operations, this guide sets out a step-by-step action plan that can be implemented within the safety management system and incorporated into the company crisis management plan. 

With extensive insights from global agencies, shipping companies, crews, medical professionals and welfare organisations, this guide allows companies to prepare for, act on, and return to normal operations after, a global health emergency.

Content includes:

• Roles and responsibilities for all ship and shore teams, including crewing, crisis management and communication teams
• Seafarer health and wellness and supporting crew’s mental health
• Reducing risk of an outbreak on board
• Crew change protocols for crewing and for seafarers
• Procedures in the event of an outbreak in port and at sea
• Access to medical care on board and at port
• Emergency communications planning
• Re-assessing protocols and implementing lessons learned after a global health emergency
• Maintaining compliance with international regulations, including the WHO International Health Regulations 2005, the ILO Maritime Labour Convention 2006 and the FAL Convention

Each part (before, during and after) comes with a handy toolkit of more than 30 checklists, posters, templates and forms to help companies practically implement these protocols into their safety management system and deliver on their crisis management plan in the event of an outbreak. The guide can be used across all shipping company departments on shore and on board, and encompasses all stages of emergency response.

Benefits to buying the guide:

• Be proactive – get ahead and integrate the guide into your safety management system and crisis management plan
• Ensure business continuity
• Support seafarers during times of high stress