Operational Guidelines for International Cruise Ships as Home Ports in Taiwan and Guidelines for International Cruise Ships Calling at Ports for Inbound Travel are approved by the Central Epidemic Command Center on 2022.10.24.

As preparation for reactivating the Explorer Dream, the Maritime and Port Bureau (MPB) of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) has completed the inspection for epidemic prevention and the emergency full participation exercise on the Explorer Dream at Wharves No. 2 and 3 at the east bank of Keelung Port this morning (27th). With Yeh Hsieh-Lung, Director General of the MPB, MOTC as the director of the operation, public health experts along with representatives of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Customs Administration (CA) of the Ministry of Finance (MOF), National Immigration Agency (NIA) of the Ministry of the Interior (MOI), Coast Guard Administration (CGA) of the Ocean Affairs Council (OAC), Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine (BAPHIQ) of the Council of Agriculture (COA), Keelung Harbor Police Department, Taiwan International Ports Corporation (TIPC), cruise companies, shipping agencies, and transportation service providers for epidemic prevention measures were all invited to participate. The exercise simulated an emergency response to suspected cases of COVID-19 during a cruise trip. During the exercise, public health experts and the relevant departments of the CDC carefully examined each stage of the operating procedures. The simulation was realistic and successful; therefore, the Explorer Dream is set to be reactivated in the evening of December 31 for the New Year’s Day voyage as scheduled, so that people may go on cruise trips safely without traveling abroad. According to the MPB, guidelines for the reactivation and a contingency plan, which were approved by the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on December 23, were announced before the exercise commenced. It simulated carrying 65 passengers and 339 seafarers; on the voyage to Hualien from Keelung Port, two passengers reported feeling ill to the medic at the infirmary by telephone, the two passengers were later considered as patients under investigation (PUI). The exercise included: After contacting the infirmary on the ship with the room telephone, the two PUI were transferred to isolation rooms by medics wearing protection gear. Then, the medic collected samples and conducted primary testing, and after 20 minutes, the testing results of the VitaPCR Instrument were suspected to be positive. The captain was immediately informed. Subsequently, the captain broadcasted and requested all passengers and seafarers to return to their rooms immediately after initiating the emergency contingency plan. The cruise ship stopped its voyage and returned to Keelung Port immediately. At the same time, the disease control committee of the ship conducted an emergency meeting to confirm the status of each department and started tracking the footprints of the two PUI. After berthing, the two PUI were escorted off the ship to ambulances for hospitalization. Then, the rest of the passengers were transported to quarantine hotels after receiving PCR tests at the deck in an orderly fashion. All members of the crew understood their duties, and overall, the exercise went smoothly. Furthermore, the MPB added that public health experts and the CDC made suggestions for the emergency exercise and the measures for epidemic prevention conducted on the ship this morning. The suggestions can be classified into the implementation of measures for epidemic prevention at all times and the contingent responses when discovering confirmed cases. For example, reinforcing education and training for the crew on COVID-19 knowledge and prevention, especially for new employees of the cruise and staff who often receive passengers; conduct emergency drills on the ship every month, and implement deployment of seafarers and their respective duties in the emergency contingency plan. The MPB will send agents to supervise these measures; in addition, business hours of the amusement center and casino should be adjusted accordingly, and the frequency of sanitization should also be increased. If suspected cases were discovered on the ship, the whereabouts of those in close contact with the suspected cases must be tracked using closed-circuit television (CCTV); staff of the room service department should offer surgical masks to all passengers on board while delivering meals. Passengers should be reassured, the wait time of PCR testing should be reduced, and the traffic flow when disembarking should be controlled. As soon as there is a confirmed case, the cruise company must inform the MPB. The MPB will also inform the Customs, Immigration, Quarantine, and Security (CIQS) units and relevant departments to form a crisis intervention team. Furthermore, the cruise company has been advised to adjust its operation human resources during the initial reactivation phase and to operate its business in a stable manner to rebuild people’s confidence in cruises. We sincerely hope that the domestic cruise industry resumes operations smoothly. Contact person: Tu, Wen-Yun, Section Chief, Maritime Affairs Division Contact number: +886-2-8978020

The Maritime and Port Bureau (MPB) of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) held the 2021 Shipping Affairs Conference at the B1 international conference hall of the Institute of Transportation, MOTC building on December 24, where public associations and major industry players were invited to participate. Over 80 honorable guests joined the conference, with Mr. Chi Wen-Chong, Administrative Deputy Minister of the MOTC, as the host. The conference focused on four topics, namely seafarers, ports, vessels, and green energy to grasp the development trends of the international maritime industry. The conference will allow the MPB and maritime industry to prepare more accurately for future challenges and opportunities together, creating even more outstanding results. Administrative Deputy Minister Chi stated in his speech that inviting maritime-related industries and holding the Shipping Affairs Conference at the end of each year is a great tradition of the MPB. The conference is not only a great communication platform between the public and private sectors, it also serves as a forum to discuss Taiwan’s maritime and port development trends; furthermore, the conference provides a space to address pending issues, serving as important reference for administrative affairs in the future. Administrative Deputy Minister Chi also mentioned that the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly reduced domestic tourism demand. For this reason, the government has offered relief packages to boost tourism-related industries. This year, under the impacts of COVID-19, even though the global maritime industry had reached a decade-long high, it also faced many difficulties such as crew changes, epidemic prevention, container shortage, vessel shortage, and ships idling off ports causing delays. On the other hand, the Energy Transition Policy has led to the promotion of offshore wind power in Taiwan; this is both an opportunity and a challenge to the development of maritime industries in Taiwan. Complementary measures for setting the locations of offshore wind farms must be planned comprehensively to ensure the navigation safety of vessels. Furthermore, Taiwan is endeavoring to sign a bilateral trade agreement with the U.S. To increase our competitiveness through coordination and communication efforts, while following the green energy trend of the international maritime industry, LNG vessels  have already been implemented; in addition, the government has also accelerated the planning of projects to build corresponding ports, in order to meet the future needs of shipping carriers’ route deployment. The MPB stated that after exchanging ideas with industry representatives through this conference, partial concrete results and consensus have been reached, including the cultivation of seafarers. By collaborating with maritime colleges and universities, the MPB can help junior-year students who are interested in working on vessels obtain their seafarer certifications. And by the time they graduate, they would be able to start working immediately, increasing the seafarer manpower of Taiwan. Furthermore, to increase the vaccination rate of seafarers on board, the MPB has filed a request to the Central Epidemic Command Center to vaccinate seafarers in designated areas of ports to boost seafarers’ immunities. The MPB is also working with the Central Epidemic Command Center to increase the monthly border entry quotas by vessel and plane to 150 people each, facilitating crew changes during the pandemic. Referencing problems such as idling vessels congesting the ports and port backlogs caused by the current pandemic, the MPB has also asked the Taiwan International Ports Corporation (TIPC) to make an inventory of the current port facilities in Taiwan’s international commercial ports, and to adjust operations to increase efficiency, bearing future plans in mind. TIPC will also cooperate with future green energy policy trends, and set up corresponding port services and facilities to establish green ports and increase the competitiveness of Taiwan‘s international commercial ports. The MPB and TIPC will continue to assist businesses in the industry and collect their opinions, which will serve as reference for future policy planning. As the strongest supporter of the industry, we will advance toward our goals: “people-centric maritime industry and ports, well-connected maritime transport, quality environment, and sustainable shipping.” Contact person: Cheng, Chin-Chou, Senior Executive Officer, Maritime Affairs Division Contact number: +886-2-8972550