What Is the State of Interisland Deliveries During This Pandemic?
By Cat Dewinta - September 26, 2021
The Covid-19 pandemic brought great havoc on global and domestic shipping. One of the aspects that got affected a lot was the maritime industry. In the Philippines, these ships revolutionized the transport of goods between bodies of water. In 2013, the RORO system created a new capability for businesses to beat the challenge of operating in an archipelago country. However, due to the changing protocols and rising Covid cases, we may find these ships idle most of the time compared to before.
According to Philippine News Agency 2020, the Covid-19 and lockdown protocols affected more than half of the shipping operations in the country. The demand for shipping services in the Philippines is directly influenced by the demand brought by the movement of the economy. The unexpected halt of most businesses since last year affected the entire shipping industry worldwide.
The Philippines is an archipelago country with more than seven thousand islands. Aside from land travel, travel by sea is the primary mode of transportation when you want to transport both goods and passengers over bodies of water. The unpredicted policies brought by lockdown also affected the businesses that rely on interisland deliveries for distribution. In these times, the capability of shipping services to continue undisrupted transport essentials like food and medicine supplies across the island in the Philippines will play a pivotal role in us surviving through this pandemic.
Here are two main challenges the maritime industry is now facing because of the pandemic:
Health protocols
Operating in a pandemic became a challenge for all, regardless of industry. The Philippines implemented safety hazards and health protocols to fight Covid-19 which results in a more complex and long process. Shipping companies need to provide PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) to their crew which adds to their expense and gets carried over with the shipping rates. Moreover, some companies find themselves challenged to comply with new requirements because simply these things were out of their operating budget before. Because of it, few crews are only able to facilitate shipments resulting to delay in port inspections.
Delays and damages
The pandemic altered the transport cycle in the Philippines and the world. These caused substantial delays and resulted in cargo being sorted for a longer period. In some cases, without appropriate security, the risk of theft and loss is higher. Delays like these can damage goods especially if they are perishable or temperature-sensitive.
Interisland delivery is already challenging as it is, but it became more challenging because of the pandemic. However, this should not stop you from looking for alternative options. Logistics companies are becoming more innovative than ever to adapt to the current situation by leveraging the power of the internet and making interisland deliveries available online. Some logistics companies offer interisland deliveries based on cargo load, and some offer interisland deliveries by offering full truckload services. The options remain wide, however, you must be keen to know the latest policies and procedures to gauge risk and cost.
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