CMTS to Host Webinar, Publish Catalogs on Handling COVID-19 in Maritime Industry

The Committee on Marine Transportation System will host a webinar on COVID-19 Testing Strategies for U.S. Merchant Mariners from 2 to 3:30 p.m. EST on Nov. 18. The remote event will feature speakers such as Maritime Administration Administrator RADM Mark Buzby and Marine Transportation Systems Director Mike Emerson, as well as Samantha Case, an epidemiologist from the CDC/NIOSH Center for Maritime Safety and Health Studies, and Dr. Kara Tardivel, a medical officer for the CDC/Maritime Unit, Division of Global Migration and Quarantine.

The webinar will touch on various topics, such as background data on the pandemic, types of COVID-19 testing for US Merchant Mariners and how reliable and available the testing is and CDC recommendations for US Merchant Mariners.

To check out the webinar, go to https://usdot.webex.com/join/nuns.jain or call 404-443-2170; with Access Code:60061206. Make sure to log in 30 minutes before the webinar starts to download any plug-ins and ensure Webex compatibility.

The webinar comes at the heels of three reference catalogs published in late October by the CMTS to help U.S. merchant mariners and the Marine Transportation System. They include “Catalog of COVID-19 Federal Guidance and References for the U.S. Maritime Industry,” “Catalog of COVID-19 Best Management Practices for the U.S. Maritime Industry,” and “Catalog of Mental Health Resources for U.S. Merchant Mariners and Critical Workforce in the Marine Transportation System.”

Email C19WG@cmts.gov to provide feedback on the catalogs. Visit https://www.cmts.gov/topics/working_group for more on the webinar and catalogs.

By Sarah Spangler