Southern Ports reduces quarantine requirements for international arrivals in Albany, Bunbury and Esperance

COVID-19 quarantine requirements have been reduced for international vessels arriving in Albany, with crew allowed to enter port if they can provide evidence of a negative rapid antigen test. From Monday, Southern Ports — the organisation which oversees the ports of Albany, Esperance and Bunbury — is allowing international arrivals to enter if they provide negative RATs for all crew members within 24 hours of the pilot boarding time. The new rules replace the previous requirement for international vessels to spend 14 days at sea before berthing. However, if a vessel cannot provide negative RAT results from all crew members, it will remain under the previous protocol and a pilot will only be scheduled 14 days after their last overseas port visit. All crew members must still follow the State Government’s maritime crew member directions, and cannot disembark while in port. “As a State we are shifting our focus to reopening our borders and managing community transmission, so it was appropriate for us to review our COVID-19 protocols for shipping,” Southern Ports chief executive Steve Lewis said. “RATs have become a critical diagnostic tool, and give us an enhanced opportunity to reduce the risk of COVID-19 for our staff, port users and our communities. “When we introduced the 14-day measure, self-testing on board was not available, so enforcing an isolation period for international vessels offered an additional layer of protection.”