Last August we attended the ship BW KOBE at Puerto Drummond. Shortly before her arrival the captain reported 3 infected crew members with covid symptoms, and by the time healthy authorities boarded the ship 17 crew members tested positive for covid. This situation immediately put our operations and logistics teams on the move, as we had to follow strict procedures to handle the situation in coordination with the terminals and health authorities. We organized a special quarantine hotel where most crew members remained for up to two weeks until their tests came out negative. Three crew members were hospitalized, including the captain, who suffered the worst of the infection and had to stay in hospital for about three weeks. The more delicate and movie-like operation we were engaged with was the changing of the crew as the ship could not left alone any minute. So, we coordinated first the disembarkation of the infected crew on one side of the ship, but a minimum workforce still remained supervising and guiding the fumigation crew. The entire accommodation of the ship was fumigated and as the remaining crew were disembarking on one side, we coordinated the new incoming crew members to board from the other side of the ship therefore guaranteeing no contact. Once this operation was completed then we further coordinated numerous virtual meetings and communications between the outgoing crew and the incoming crew so that the latter could familiarize properly with the functioning of the ship. One day later, the ship was ready to load her cargo, and everything went normal until her departure while we coordinated and supervised all the hospital services needed.
Captain Teves remained in the hospital in Santa Marta until September 11 when he could finally fly back home to rejoined his family. During the time of his rehabilitation, we organized numerous communications with his wife and kid back in Philippines. After he rejoined his family, we received a thank you note from his wife in the following terms: “I am thankful to God that He sent you as an instrument for us to communicate and to take care of my husband.”
NO doubt our logistics team put up a top performance and never forgot that despite covid we were dealing with human beings who wanted to go back home as soon as possible. The appreciation message from Mrs Tevez sums up this experience with a happy ending.
“Capt Tevez on his way to full recovery after the worst of his covid storm had passed”.