Port authority receives endorsement for COVID safety measures

The Windsor Port Authority is the first port in Canada to have been named a Marine Trusted Partner due to its introduction of COVID-19 protocols.

The protocols were introduced to protect ship crews, customers, service providers and the public.

The honour was recently handed down by the Chamber of Marine Commerce, which has been working in co-ordination with the federal government to ensure the shipping industry remains safe during the pandemic.

“We are proud of our many operators who have made the health and safety of all workers in Port Windsor a priority,” said Steve Salmons, the port authority’s CEO.

“They have all taken steps to ensure that Port Windsor remains a destination of choice. This is more than about keeping the flow of essential goods and materials flowing, it’s about keeping our community safe.”

A recent audit by the marine chamber determined the port has successfully implemented a full range of best practices for preventive measures to help provide confidence to those dealing with local shipping ports. Among the new safety measures are preventive measures before boarding ships and while onboard, ensuring staff has up-to-date information about the virus, making arrangements for some staff to work from home, providing sufficient PPE to protect workers, and providing all operators with information on how to engage safely with visiting ships.

Foreign ships coming into port are being tracked continuously for the health conditions of their crew.

More than 2,500 local jobs are connected to Windsor’s ports, which receive more than 600 ships annually, delivering more than five million tonnes of aggregate, salt, steel and grain to Windsor-essex. Windsor also hosts Ontario’s largest ship fuelling depot.