In all decisions concerning the current situation in Japan, Hamburg Süd is acting according to the maxim of, first and foremost, safeguarding the well-being of the seamen on the vessels it deploys and, at the same time, ensuring that Japan is not cut off from international commodity flows. Hamburg Süd is in close contact with various institutions, in particular the Federal Office for Radiation Protection. According to official measurements, radiation levels locally have been classified as giving no cause for concern. In addition, Hamburg Süd checks the weather situation prior to any port call in Tokyo.
“An appropriately large time window must be available to any vessel calling in Japan for it leave the region quickly if the situation in Fukushima should escalate further,” explained Eva Graumann, Director Corporate Communications for Hamburg Süd. This was the situation in the case of the port calls of the “Cap Jackson” in Yokohama and Tokyo respectively on 24 March. The current weather situation for the “Cap Isabel” is different. Since weather conditions in the next few days are expected to change, Hamburg Süd has decided at short notice to cancel the port call in Tokyo.
Hamburg Süd will continue to keep a close eye on the situation in Fukushima in order to be able to reach a timely decision on the next port calls in Tokyo and Yokohama.
Hamburg Süd has arranged for the appropriate measurements to be taken on the containers that have been deployed in Japan since the disaster in Fukushima.