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Airports
The possibility of London's third Major Airport being sited at Foulness opens the prospect
of greatly increased Port Health responsibilities, This is a major proposal which cannot be dealt
with at this juncture.
There is an existing heliport at Battersea - Westland Heliport - which opened in 1959.
A recent development has been flights from abroad from Holland and France when clearance
was given byHM Customs.A check is being kept to ensurethat port health responsibilities will
be undertaken if or when necessary.
There is a proposal to provide facilities for Vertical Take-Off (Jump Jets) within the region
of the Surrey Docks, as an internal passenger feeder service to the main international airports.
This development requires to be watched because of the Port Health implications of the links
with international air traffic. Other likely developments are such things as floating landing sites
which could be situated in the Estuary, and again may involve international regulations as well
as food hygiene in connection with restaurants. Container and passenger traffic conveyed by
airships is once again being studied as a possibility,
Maritime Area Control
The congestion of some sea areas with restriction on "freedom of the sea" will be necessary
in the interests of general safety. This has led to the concept of maritime area control. This
system of control will provide navigational assistance in maintaining a strategically planned
route, relieving congestion, avoiding collision and so on, and in speeding up the vessel's turn
round. This concerns the Port Health Service in that health clearance by radio is likely to be
incorporated into this system. A Port Data Handling Centre collects and disseminates all data
concerning the ship and shore services in order to enhance the overall efficiency of the port.
This information is passed to the Port Area Control Centre which co-ordinates and then sequences
and controls ships from sea to berth. The Master of the ship in addition to other information will
radio details of the Health Declaration Form to the Port Data Handling Centre. This part of the
information will be sent by radio to the Port Medical Officer for a decision to be made. This
may be Health Clearance or otherwise. This message is sent back to the Port Data Handling
Centre by radio and eventually inward transmitted to the Port Area Control Centre. The total
information is computerized and programmed so there is a controlled sequence of movement of
all vessels as permission is given to enter the port, The ships are phased according to tonnage,
tide, draught and other data. Large tankers have to be scheduled according to tide clearance of
channels and the momentum of these vessels is so great that undue slowing down or manipulation
is impossible — hence the difficulty of boarding from launches. The objective is that each ship
should not be delayed or interfered with till it reaches its berth, otherwise the total programme
is upset.
Health Clearance by Radio in the USA
During the past year official recognition has been given to the Port of London as a port
which can give health clearance to ships by radio. Experience was gained of the use of Radio
Pratique during a visit to USA ports with the late Chairman of the Port and City Health Committee.
Radio Pratique has been in operation for certain passenger vessels arriving in New York
for many years — since the early nineteen-thirties, As well as being limited to.passenger vessels
it was also confined to ships having a ship's surgeon or an approved competent purser-pharmacist.
In addition it was only granted to certain passenger vessels such as those on a fixed run between
non-infected and non-endemic ports, such as the Cunard Line's between Southampton and New
York. In this instance the risk of importation of quarantinable disease is negligible.
The recent development in connection with radio pratique is that it is being offered to all
vessels, cargo and passenger, and whether coming from endemic ports or not. This system has
already been introduced in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Porto Rico, and it is
being gradually introduced in all major ports throughout the USA.
The Radio Pratique is a quarantine clearance by radio granted by the officer-in-charge
of a US Quarantine Station. The clearance permitsa vessel to proceed directly to berth and
begin normal business activities, in many cases without inspection by a quarantine officer.
The granting of radio pratique clears a vessel only for US Public Health Service requirements: it
does not exempt the vessel from the requirement of other governmental agencies prior to commencing
operations, nor does it exempt a vessel from quarantine inspection or other control
measures subsequently deemed necessary by the quarantine station. It is important to note that
this is the kind of health clearance by radio that has been introduced in London in 1969 subsequent
to our USA visit. The vessel subsequently will be given pratique by customs and
clearance by immigration if necessary. The determination to grant or deny this health clearance
is based upon information received from the vessel prior to its arrival in port, and upon past experience
with the vessel and its personnel.