When the epidemic broke out, a series of seaport enterprises in Cai Mep - Thi Vai faced many difficulties. Effectively fighting the epidemic to ensure safe production, seaport enterprises in Ba Ria - Vung Tau still maintain effective operations with the total volume of customs procedures at the ports increasing by more than 35% over the same period in 2020.
Overcome difficulties
Seaports have shifted their operations to the “three-on-spot” option (work, eat and rest on the spot).
Deputy General Director of the Gemadept Joint Stock Company, Pham Quoc Long, said that Gemalink port is not designed to serve the needs of “three-on-spot”, so when implementing this option, enterprises have faced many difficulties. With the determination to strictly ensure the prevention and control of the epidemic at the port is strong, the port has fully complied with regulations, proactively organising internal isolation and social distancing through the arrangement of teams, independent working groups, working from home, online meetings, and operating activities and monitoring on technology platforms. However, the “three-on-spot” option cannot last too long because both businesses and employees are under a lot of pressure.
General Director of Cai Mep International Terminal (CMIT), Nguyen Xuan Ky further explained that the "three-on-spot" solution in the short term brings certain benefits, but in the long run, it has revealed many limitations.
The first is that one can only maintain production only at a basic level, remaining passive when the output of goods increases or decreases locally. Labour productivity is also not high because workers lack concentration due to being on site for so many days without seeing their families. Enterprises have to bear the additional large expenses incurred, not all businesses can afford these. For example, in order for 350 company employees and contractors to perform “three-on-spot”, every month, CMIT has to spend billions of VND on infrastructure, food, allowances and periodic Covid-19 testing fees.
Head of SSIT Port's Security and Safety, Le Quyet Thang shared, upon detecting an F0 case at the port, immediately, the company's epidemic prevention and control system is activated, quickly tracing and zoning. F1s in direct contact with an F0 are isolated and monitored. The port also arranges replacement human resources not to stop operations. However, the biggest difficulty in implementing the “three-on-spot” option today is that businesses have to bear a lot of costs.
In fact, with the increased volume of goods customs procedures at the ports, the workload is large, but in order to implement the "three-on-spot" option, seaport enterprises have to cut labour. Pham Quoc Long added that in order for Gemalink seaport to operate continuously without interruption, during the past 50 days of social distancing, workers at the port had to commit to being ready to work overtime. Although the number of workers has been reduced, the requirements for loading and unloading, and transporting goods from the port to the ship and vice versa must still be guaranteed.
Many support policies
Director of the Vung Tau Port Authority (Ba Ria - Vung Tau), Le Van Thuc shared, although heavily affected by the Covid-19 epidemic, in the past eight months, the volume of container cargo through Cai Mep - Thi Vai deep seaport cluster still increased by 35% with more than 3.2 million TEU. That shows the great efforts of seaport enterprises and the government of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province in supporting enterprises to both ensure anti-epidemic control whilst maintaining stable production.
According to Deputy General Director of Gemadept Joint Stock Company, Pham Quoc Long, the implementation of the "three-on-spot" option requires the great support of local authorities in periodic testing, zoning, and tracing upon detecting an F0 case. In particular, in order to make customs procedures faster, the synchronous coordination of customs, border guards, and port authorities is also needed.
Head of the Ba Ria - Vung Tau Provincial Customs Department Tran Van Danh said that even during the period of implementing the social distancing, the unit still arranges staff to be on duty after hours, including on Saturday and Sunday, to help businesses quickly finalise their customs procedures
At the same time, no sanctions will be imposed for customs procedures not within the prescribed time limit; also permitting companies to use photo scans of some documents certifying origin of goods.
Previously, in order to release stagnant goods at the Tan Cang-Cat Lai Terminal (Ho Chi Minh City), the Ba Ria - Vung Tau Provincial Customs Department also directed its branches to create the most favourable conditions for ships to unload at the Cai Mep - Thi Vai deep seaport cluster; guide enterprises according to regulations in Cai Mep - Thi Vai area.
Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province, Nguyen Cong Vinh, said that as soon as the epidemic broke out, Ba Ria - Vung Tau province determined it would ensure absolute safety for the seaport system, to avoid disrupting this important goods supply chain. Therefore, solutions for epidemic prevention and control at port clusters have always been set at the highest level with specific processes and response plans when the epidemic centers.
Extending the implementation time of the "three-on-spot" option will erode the resources of enterprises. Ba Ria - Vung Tau province has suggested request businesses organise an assessment of the implementation of the "three on-spot" option, and propose a model for enterprises to implement in the near future. On the basis of carefully studying the actual conditions in the locality, the province will agree on a new implementation model for seaport enterprises on the principle of “production is only carried out when it is safe, and production must be safe"
