APM Terminals issues North America COVID-19 update
APM Terminals North America COVID-19 Update. Precautionary procedures & processes to handle COVID-19 cases are in place, the company said in its release.
Operational initiatives underway include:
Agreed with Union leadership to allow temperature checks for frontline labor prior to dispatching to terminals in some locations.
Separation of labor force and workspaces wherever possible.
Sanitizing and containment procedures such as:
Having the same person use the same piece of equipment
Fixed cleaning/sanitizing wipe down schedules on equipment
Poster reminders of basic hygiene rules around terminals
Installation of portable hand-washing stations around terminal yard and berth.
Limiting the transportation of colleagues on site to groups of 10 or less
Cafeterias have become take-out only / gyms are closed.
An SOP is in place for handling a presumptive or confirmed case of COVID-19 that includes immediate quarantine of potentially-impacted individuals and professional, 3rd party, industrial cleaning of their work space(s), and reporting requirements.
APM Terminals installed a regular management protocol during the crisis – which includes:
Wim Lagaay, CEO of APM Terminals North America is:
Having a daily conference call with all Terminal Managing Directors & critical functions to update current conditions, review prioritized actions, identify future planning needs and aligning with Maersk Group Companies and functions on safety/health/hygiene initiatives.
Having weekend calls with global headquarters as part of APM Terminals global crisis management team/Business Continuity Planning.
Deploying Labor Relations team to remain in close contact with the ILA and ILWU leadership in the US as well as the CROM in Mexico to keep them informed of all local terminal activities, worker health precautions, and updates to business continuity plans.
Receiving regular updates from our Government Relations team who remains in close contact with legislative leadership to help ensure ports remain classified as “critical infrastructure” so they can continue to operate normally.
In continuous dialogue with Charlotte office management team; 100% are working remotely without any interruption to business.
Implementing closure of non-essential areas of facilities and offices.
APM Terminals consistently monitoring empty container inventories, import/export dwell times, and last free days.
Terminal fluidity will be vital to ensure critical goods can flow through facilities and that vessels can be discharged and loaded timely to maintain network reliability. APM Terminals will “stop the clock” on storage and terminal demurrage if a container is unavailable as a result of issues caused by APM Terminals, such as a yard block being closed or the reduction of gate hours. Other last free days and empty inventory limits will be maintained to avoid congestion.
