SAFETY measures have been tightened by local maritime authorities to ensure business operations in the city.

From January 20 to Tuesday, under the guidance of the Baoshan Maritime Commission, 38 ships from Wuhan carrying 86,400 tons of raw materials managed to unload at Baosteel Wharf, one of the city’s key piers for substantial materials. A cargo of cold steel plates from Baosteel, weighing 17,900 tons, was shipped to Wuhan.

Apart from opening a green channel and adopting distance supervision to avoid accidents, automated unloading methods, including electronic receipts, are being encouraged to minimize human contact.

“By safeguarding ships’ arrivals and departures, we are competing with time to support the epidemic fight in Wuhan and maintain the economy channel on water,” said Tang Wu, director of the commission.

The Yangshan Port Maritime Commission has also rolled out safety measures on the prevention and control of coronavirus to support enterprises’ production.

On Tuesday, “Oriental Discovery,” a giant drill platform built by SWS Offshore and worth about 1 billion yuan (US$147 million), was officially turned over in Lingang, heading to Shenzhen for gas field exploration.

With real-time information of boats and crew, on-site patrols of key areas and route cleanup, maritime workers have ensured safe navigation amidst severe weather.