During the current COVID-19 outbreak, we wish to reassure clients that the Ship Registry will continue to provide our usual high levels of customer service. Our offices are now closed for a period, but all staff are working remotely from home. All our staff are contactable by email and in addition most staff can still be contacted by telephone simply by calling their usual number which can be found in their email signature.
Our advanced Marine Administration Vessel Information System (MAVIS) system has enabled Ship Registry staff to carry on with business as usual, registering ships and yachts, answering technical queries and issuing temporary letters of dispensation. All staff and clients are able to access MAVIS as usual. We are also reaping the benefits of our investment into the digitisation of our processes. For instance, digital certificates are able to be issued by surveyors and registrars wherever they are working. And with global logistics under immense strain, our clients will appreciate more than ever not having to wait around for couriered certificates. Endorsement applications continue to be processed remotely well within target times, and again we see the benefits of digitisation of this process. In May 2019 we phased out paper applications which now means that applications are processed efficiently without any mail delivery for us or our clients.
With regard to the wider implications of COVID-19, we encourage our clients to regularly check our dedicated COVID-19 webpage. This page has been set so that all the latest guidance from IMO and the Isle of Man Ship Registry is available in one place. At the moment, this page is being updated several times a week so well worth keeping an eye on. If any of our clients are experiencing a COVID-19 related problem that is not covered by the published guidance, please get in touch with us. We will take a pragmatic view and work with you to find a solution.
Finally, we wish to offer our thoughts to the many thousands of seafarers who are working on ships away from their families at this difficult time. They are making a great sacrifice so that populations around the World can continue to receive food, medical supplies and other essential products. Their contribution is often overlooked by society at large, but within the shipping industry at least, we shall recognise their bravery.