China reportedly banning repairs for vessels with recent crew changes in India

China reportedly banning repairs for vessels with recent crew changes in India
May 10, 2021 https://shipinsight.com/articles/china-reportedly-banning-repairs-for-ve...

Bloomberg is reporting that shipyards in the Chinese coastal city of Zhoushan have banned vessels that called at or changed crews in India in the last three months, citing concerns over rising COVID infections in the South Asian nation.

According to Bloomberg, restrictions on vessels from India as well as Bangladesh are now in place, prohibiting their arrival for maintenance and repair work, said a spokesperson from shipping and logistics firm Wilhelmsen Group.

The company was informed of the ban by a shipyard operating in the city, the spokesperson said. Details were confirmed by an official from Zhoushan Xinya Shipyard Co.

The same restrictions do not extend to ships transporting cargoes from India, according to an official from Zhoushan port and oil traders who asked not to be identified.

The ban was put in place after 11 crew members tested positive for Covid-19 in late-April, according to the shipyard official. The infected people were onboard a vessel that had docked at a local shipyard.