UNCTAD Policy Brief No. 93, Emerging strategies for ports during the pandemic
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant impact on humankind and on global commerce. Ports and port communities have experienced major changes to normal operating environments.
The strategies used by ports to remain open and continue to facilitate sustainable economic development throughout the pandemic may provide useful lessons for policymakers, particularly in relation to the protocols and innovative measures that have been employed to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the movement of imports and exports as well as ships’ crew and essential port workers.
Key points:
- Ports are essential facilitators of world trade
- Public health advice is crucial in mitigating the impact of pandemics
- Government policy and regulation is required to support port operations during pandemics
Contracts for the carriage of goods by sea and multimodal transport: Key issues arising from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was declared by the WHO on 11 March 2020, and in response to the emergence of new variants, countries have imposed, eased and re-imposed various restrictions on daily life, including for the entry and exit in ports. This has resulted in disruption and delay, with implications for the performance of commercial contracts for the carriage of goods.