A platform for informal exchanges between terminal operators related to the association was launched by SGKV in mid-March 2020, in the background of the challenging situation imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The aim of the weekly exchange through Web meetings at the beginning was to learn from each other, on ways to deal with the crisis (Best Practices) to protect the employees at the CT terminals or ports from infections and thereby ensure operations. In just two days after the first meeting on the 17th of March 2020, a guideline with concrete protection measures was created. It was E-mailed to all CT terminals in the DACH region, irrespective of SGKV membership due to the difficult situation. The guideline is being continuously adapted in the subsequent meetings, and the current version number 29 contains concrete measures for the protection of employees.
A set of 14 overall recommendations for the policymakers and authorities were created, distributed and discussed in parallel. Fortunately, the most important recommendations, such as contactless transport or ensuring 24/7 operations of the critical transport corridors, were quickly implemented. Apart from implementation in Germany, these recommendations were translated into English and widely distributed across Europe through different channels.
As a result, all CT terminals in Germany were able to maintain their operations, along with the continuation of the CT connections. Further, the UN also expressed their interest in the experiences shared during the crisis meetings and sought for a presentation within the framework of the Working Party 24 (Intermodal Transport).
All documents from the COVID-19 Crisis meetings and presentation / further information from the UNECE WP.24 can be found in the links below.
Recommendations for authorities and politics in dealing with CT terminals with COVID-19
