A Qatari port has suspended all berthing operations at the hottest time of the day to prevent a repeat of the death of a seafarer from heat exhaustion.
The Mesaieed port has suspended all berthing operations from 10 am until 3.30 pm until 30 September because of extreme summer temperatures.
The decision follows the death of a 41-year-old bosun who collapsed and died after working long hours shortly after arriving at the port on a Greek-operated bulker in July 2023.
Two other crew members on the Maltese-flagged 29,862-gt Elpida GR (built 2003) collapsed but survived, working rapidly to clean tanks after leaving on a ballast leg from Iraq before arriving at the Qatari port.
A fourth seafarer was also taken to hospital. The Maltese investigation concluded that it was “highly likely that the long hours of physical work on deck, in hot and humid weather conditions, had contributed to the crew members’ collapse”.
The temperature was recorded between 40C and 45C with humidity of 77%, the report found.
The port said the decision to limit berthing operations was made to protect the health of seafarers involved in mooring and unmooring operations by “eliminating the high-risk potential of heat-related illnesses during summer peak heat hours”.
It said that critical lessons had been learned from previous incidents and urged all shipping companies to “treat this matter with the utmost seriousness”.
The port said that channel movements would continue unless pilots found bridge temperatures were too high and refused to work.
The warning, posted by protection and indemnity club NorthStandard, followed the refusal to work by some pilots in Brazil last year because of faulty air-conditioning and soaring bridge temperatures.
Workplace temperatures should be around 18C to 25C, according to Brazilian health and safety standards, with potential penalties for breaking the rules of up to $300,000.
The Global Risks Report 2024 from the World Economic Forum cited extreme weather as the biggest threat to society in the coming decade.
Extreme heat, rising sea levels and storm surges have all been mentioned as growing risks to ports and shipping, with the potential to disrupt supply chains.
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