The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has become another country in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region to restrict maritime operations in order to take some precautions against the spread of the coronavirus.
The Federal Transport Authority (the FTA) in the UAE has issued a circular dated February 26 according to which ferry services between the UAE and Iran have been suspended until further notice. In addition, ship masters are advised to, at least 72 hours before calling to UAE ports, to send a Maritime Declaration of Health, stating that no crew member is suffering from any symptoms suggestive of coronavirus illness.
A day earlier, Kuwait had banned the acceptance of vessels arriving from China, Hong Kong, Iraq, Iran, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand. Some ports in Oman have also taken similar measures, as SteelOrbis reported earlier.