Pilot Procedures & Reporting Crew Health During COVID-19

I recently attended a breakfast with USCG and Port State Control leadership and was reminded that any ship coming directly from China that has a crewman exhibiting the signs associated with the coronavirus will “probably” receive a Captain of The Port Order (COTP) denying it entry.

And before you decide to not report the presence of a sick crewman, let us remind you that failure to report a sick crewman will result in, at a minimum, a $96,000 financial penalty.

Before your ship’s arrival in US waters, we will ask the captain if anyone on board is ill. We will send him the national Center for Disease Control’s questionnaire, which asks him to either confirm that no one on board is ill or to describe the symptoms of anyone who is.

There are also new procedures to follow regarding the local pilots. Those procedures are intended to minimize the risk of spreading the coronavirus, not so much from your crew to the pilots, but from the pilots to your crew. Here they are:

* In the hour prior to Pilot boarding, wipe down the entire bridge with a 5% solution of bleach water. (Chart table, instruments, chairs, helm, entire console, windows, etc.)

*any crew member entering bridge should thoroughly wash their hands and face prior to entering the bridge, and their hands again immediately upon entering. 

* any member of the bridge team should gel their hands immediately after touching their face at all, PILOT INCLUDED!  Pilot should make this awareness a part of MPX. It is second nature to itch ones nose. If the helmsman sees the pilot do it then speak up! 

* all coffee cups and utensils on bridge should be washed thoroughly. 

* Pilots should NOT be using ships coffee cups! Bring your own. 

* Do not eat on the bridge, nor let anyone else do so while onboard. 

* cool and dry conditions on the bridge. Hot and steamy is the best conditions for a virus to stay alive on surfaces.

* Please only allow the essential personnel allowed in the wheelhouse while a pilot is onboard.

You may find additional guidance from the USCG in the link below.

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Can You Still Make Crew Changes In The USA?

The COVID-19 virus has changed a lot of things in our world today, including the rules for making crew changes in the Pacific Northwest region (Oregon & Washington states). To make crew changes even more difficult to plan for, the rules are different in the Columbia River and Puget Sound regions, both of which are part of NOPAC.

We know from personal experience that several charterer agents have misunderstood recent CBP updates for making crew changes, which has resulted in large expenses for the ship owner on multiple occasions. Lucky for you, NASA focuses exclusively on owner’s protective agency and we are in a position to give you reliable advice. The bottom line?

Crew changes are permitted

…as long as you follow the new rules.

• On-signers can enter the country and join the vessel if they have a C1/D visa.

• Off-signers from Columbia River ports who have the C1/D visa will be cleared to disembark if your agent has already notified the local CBP officers and brought the paperwork to the arrival cargo hold inspection.

• Off-signers from Columbia River ports who have the C1/D visa, but do are not cleared to disembark by CBP during the arrival inspection will be detained and forced to apply for a visa parole, which can be denied at CBP’s discretion.

• Rules for off-signers from Puget Sound ports are more flexible, except that visa parole requests seem to be less likely to be approved by CBP.

So, make sure that your crew department is working closely with your agent to plan in advance for the port at which your vessel will call. Mistakes can be expensive and cause great inconvenience, ranging from your inability to get crewmen home, to having to buy an extra plane ticket for the courier to escort your crewmen to another airport in the country and then the overnight hotel costs and hourly rates until he returns to Portland or Seattle.

To help avoid a messy situation, we recommend that your crew department provide your agent with an eTicket, showing the intended departure flight, by the time your vessel arrives at anchor. Your owner’s protective agent (hopefully that is NASA!) will help you regarding the ETB and ETD in order to make the crew change at the berth, avoiding costly launch boat costs.

Remember, any visa parole approval for crewmen who do not have the C1/D visa will be conditional upon the flight going directly from Portland (or Seattle) to a foreign airport.

So, go ahead and plan to make the crew changes you want to while your ship is in the Columbia River or Puget Sound region.

We will help you with the rest.

It’s Still “Moth” Time On The US West Coast

Shipping Regulations (2026): Maritime vessels calling at ports in high-risk areas (e.g., Eastern Russia, China, Korea, Japan) must maintain strict compliance with FSMC-free certifications to prevent the introduction of egg masses via cargo and vessels, as detailed by BIMCO and APHIS.

It’s still Flighted Spongy Moth Complex (formerly known as Asian Gypsy Moth) season on the US west coast, so if your ship has recently sailed from a port in East Asia and is on it’s way to our part of the world, then you should have a FSMC certificate showing that it was inspected for, and found free from, any infestation.

If your vessel has a port call at any of the locations discussed below, within the specified dates, then your ship must arranged for a proper inspection and obtain a FSMC certificate before departing that port. However, if you have not done so and your vessel is already on its way to the US west coast region then let NASA know and we will let you know how to proceed.

Russia (Far East)

• Ports: Nakhodka, Ol'ga, Plastun, Pos'yet, Russkiy Island, Slavyanka, Vanino, Vladivostok, Vostochny, Zarubino, Kozmino.

• Risk Period: June 15 to October 15

People's Republic of China

• Ports: All ports in northern China located on or north of 31°15' N. (This excludes ports like Zhoushan, which is further south).

• Risk Period: June 1 to September 30

Republic of Korea

• Ports: All ports.

• Risk Period: June 1 to September 30

Japan

• Northern Japan: (Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Yamagata, Akita, Fukushima Prefectures)

  • Risk Period: June 15 to October 15

• Central Japan: (Aichi, Chiba, Fukui, Ibaraki, Ishikawa, Kanagawa, Mie, Niigata, Shizuoka, Tokyo, Toyama Prefectures)

  • Risk Period: June 1 to September 30

• Southern Japan: (Ehime, Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Hyogo, Kagawa, Kagoshima, Kochi, Kumamoto, Kyoto, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Oita, Okayama, Osaka, Saga, Shimane, Tokushima, Tottori, Wakayama, Yamaguchi Prefectures)

  • Risk Period: May 15 to August 31

• Far Southern Japan: (Okinawa Prefecture)

  • Risk Period: May 25 to June 30

DRAFT 2

Don't Let an Uninvited Passenger Ruin Your Voyage: The 2026 Flighted Spongy Moth Complex Rules Are Here

Ah, summer at sea. The ocean breeze, the open water, and... a massive swarm of extremely invasive, tree-devouring hitchhikers?

If you haven’t heard, the insect formerly known as the Asian Gypsy Moth has undergone a bit of a corporate rebranding. It is now officially called the Flighted Spongy Moth Complex (FSMC). While the new name might sound like a high-end luxury spa or a sci-fi villain lair, these little critters are a major headache for maritime operations.

Female FSMC moths are strong fliers and are utterly obsessed with the bright lights of your vessels. They love nothing more than flying aboard at night and laying hard-to-spot egg masses in the cozy, sheltered corners of your ship.

Because these pests can completely decimate forestry and fruit industries, agricultural authorities worldwide (especially in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, and Argentina) are on high alert. If your ship calls on certain high-risk regions during their 2026 "flight season," you must obtain a certified FSMC-free certificate before departing. If you don't, prepare for hefty delays, aggressive inspections, or being ordered straight out of port.

To keep your voyage smooth and moth-free, here is the official breakdown of the high-risk zones, ports, and specific dates for the 2026 season:

The 2026 FSMC High-Risk Areas and Dates

Russian Far East

• High-Risk Window: June 15 to October 15, 2026

• Regulated Ports: Nakhodka, Ol'ga, Plastun, Pos'yet, Russkiy Island, Slavyanka, Vanino, Vladivostok, Vostochny, Zarubino, and Kozmino.

People's Republic of China

• High-Risk Window: June 1 to September 30, 2026

• Regulated Ports: All ports in northern China, specifically any port located on or north of 31°15′ N.

Republic of Korea (South Korea)

• High-Risk Window: June 1 to September 30, 2026

• Regulated Ports: All ports nationwide.

Northern Japan

• High-Risk Window: June 15 to October 15, 2026

• Regulated Prefectures: Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Hokkaido, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata.

Central Japan

• High-Risk Window: June 1 to September 30, 2026

• Regulated Prefectures: Aichi, Chiba, Fukui, Ibaraki, Ishikawa, Kanagawa, Mie, Niigata, Shizuoka, Tokyo, and Toyama.

Southern Japan

• High-Risk Window: May 15 to August 31, 2026

• Regulated Prefectures: Ehime, Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Hyogo, Kagawa, Kagoshima, Kochi, Kumamoto, Kyoto, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Oita, Okayama, Osaka, Saga, Shimane, Tokushima, Tottori, Wakayama, and Yamaguchi.

Far Southern Japan

• High-Risk Window: May 25 to June 30, 2026

• Regulated Prefecture: Okinawa.

What Shipowners Need to Do

Data indicates that FSMC populations are hitting outbreak levels in 2026, meaning destination ports will be examining your paperwork and vessel with a magnifying glass.

1. Get the Certificate: If you dock in any of the areas above during the listed dates, you must get an official pre-departure inspection and a certificate stating your vessel is free of FSMC life stages.

2. Dim the Lights: While in these ports, turn off unnecessary exterior lights to avoid throwing an open-invite party for the local moth population.

3. Scrape and Destroy: Conduct thorough self-inspections. Check around accommodation blocks, look under coamings, and inspect cargo gear. If you see fuzzy, yellowish-brown egg masses, scrape them off and destroy them properly before arriving at your next destination.

Safe sailing, keep your eyes peeled, and don't let a moth hold up your ship!