Even though this statement has been made and is still true:
Ebola has never been transmitted by international shipping.
The shipping community is being impacted by Ebola in the forms of delays, schedule changes and possibly quarantines.
The current concern is can be justified [from JOC]:
The 2014 Ebola crisis in the countries of Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone has, as of an Oct. 17 situation report from the World Health Organization, resulted in 9,191 cases of Ebola worldwide and 4,546 deaths, more than 20 times the next largest outbreak, which occurred in Uganda in 2001 and resulted in 425 cases.
The trip from West Africa to the East Coast of the United States takes anywhere from 14 to 18 days. Ebola has an incubation period of 21 days.
One of the concerns is that cargo ships don’t have a doctor on board.
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In addition to the concern about spreading the disease and the resulting delays, insurance policies for shipper’s typically carry insurance policies protecting them from damages caused by events such as political unrest, hurricanes and fires. It is not clear if Ebola would be covered according to insurers and lawyers.
From WSJ:
“There is no ‘Ebola clause’ that will easily cover companies in the supply chain,” said Adam Rekerdres, vice president of Rekerdres & Sons Insurance Agency, which offers insurance for commodity suppliers and users. “It’s a real gray area right now.”
The three countries at the center of the Ebola outbreak—Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia—are significant grain importers. Guinea is a major exporter of bauxite, a key component in aluminum.
The uncertainties keep growing among the warnings from the World Health Organization about the disease’s spread. On Wednesday the 15th, they said 5,000 to 10,000 new cases a week could be reported by early December.
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