North P&I Club is helping shipping industry deal with outbreak of Coronavirus

Newcastle-headquartered North P&I Club is helping map the spread of the Coronavirus outbreak with the launch of a new digital tool.

Following news of two confirmed cases being treated here in the North East, shipping insurer North has unveiled new software that will help ship owners and operators track the virus.

The MyGlobeView platform – an interactive map used by North’s customers to identify commercial risks and physical threats to shipping around the world – can provide live updates as to the number of confirmed cases of Coronavirus, countries at risk and what to look out for.

The software sources data from the World Health Organisation (WHO), which last week (January 30) declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) over the spread of the virus, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

North’s digital tool should help ships with chartering, operations and preparing staff for what to expect when arriving in ports around the world.

Simon MacLeod, deputy director – loss prevention at North, said: “We are committed to ensuring that our ship owner members have easy access to up-to-date advice and guidance to operate safely.

“So, we take outbreaks like the Coronavirus very seriously and have acted quickly to release this latest update to our MyGlobeView platform.

“As well as receiving information from the WHO, John Hopkins University and other organisations tracking the virus, we also have a huge network of contacts in ports across the world, who are updating us with local information as the infection spreads. This means the software is as up to date and informative as possible.”

At the time of writing, the current number of confirmed Coronavirus cases is 24,623 with 493 fatalities.

Chinese authorities are working hard to get the virus under control and Governments around the world are taking measures to safeguard themselves from its deadly spread.