Maersk Line will not stop calling at West African ports stricken by the Ebola virus, but the company will suspend shore-leave — which is the leave that professional sailors get to spend on dry land — as well as make some changes to crews in Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, Lloyd’s Loading List reports.
The decision coincides with the World Health Organisation (WHO) declaring the outbreak a ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern’ (PHEIC), affecting trade and travel.
The global shipping organisations voiced their concern as well over the outbreak of the Ebola virus and its affect on shipping industry. They also issued guidelines on the risks posed to ships’ crews calling in countries affected by the Ebola virus.