31 January 2021: provision hauling challenges
Case:
On one vessel that was frequenting South-Asia and frequently took provisions in Port Qasim, Pakistan, the crew would have typical symptoms of foodborne disease. Within one week of taking fresh provisions from this location, people would make a fever, have stomach pains and diarrhea.
During our coaching mission on board in 2016, we noticed the following procedures:
1. From a small service boat, transportation bags with products are hauled up.
2. These bags are suspended by nylon straps on four corners
3. After emptying the supplies from the transportation bag, the bag is filled with garbage to be hauled on the service boat.
Issues:
a. Products are packed in cardboard boxes, sometimes only in plastic bags, which makes the products vulnerable to vitiation.
b. The nylon straps on the corners compress the boxes and their products, which only increases product’s vulnerability to vitiation.
c. Through this compression, we increase the risk of cross-contamination between products and between microorganisms contained within the transportation bag, which may cause foodborne disease.
Solutions:
a. Specific bags were marked for hauling food, others for hauling garbage
b. All items that used to be packed in unprotected boxes and plastic bags were replaced by disposable Styrofoam boxes.
c. A spreader is used to haul the transportation bags, which guarantees the transportation bags don’t compress the goods.
Recommendations:
a. Always work with a decent ship’s caterer as a partner. They have the ability to source good suppliers locally.
b. In case you don’t work with a ship’s caterer but frequent a certain region, establish a good relationship with your local ship chandler to ensure good communication and follow-up.
c. Always assess the situation at the start of delivery and adapt to a safer way of loading when necessary.
