Requirements for vessels arriving during COVID-19

16 Mar 2022 / Singapore

Owners, agents and masters of vessels arriving in the Port of Singapore are reminded of their responsibility to implement and comply with all prevailing requirements and measures of the Singapore authorities to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission in Singapore, in particular safe management measures directly applicable to vessels in the Port of Singapore.

Owners, agents and masters of vessels must ensure that all operations (e.g. cargo operations, bunkering, ship’s supplies and stores, and other marine services) are carried out contactless or contactless with segregation protocol:
a) Contactless operation means no boarding of the vessel by any person other than MPA-licensed harbour pilots, authorised government officers, and persons approved by the Port Master of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.
b) Contactless operation with segregation protocol means that enhanced safe management measures must be implemented to minimise interaction between the vessel’s crew and shore-based personnel…

…The owner, agent or master of the vessel in port must establish and apply procedures and adequate controls to ensure the safety of shore-based personnel and the vessel’s crew…

…Failure to comply with the requirements may result in a breach of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (Port) Regulations or the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations 2020.

All vessel’s crew must comply with the following while in the Port of Singapore:
a) Wear a mask at all times (unless the work activity requires that no mask be worn).
b) As far as is reasonably practicable, keep a distance of at least one metre apart from each other.
c) Observe good personal hygiene by washing hands regularly;
and
d) Maintain good hygiene in the vessel’s accommodation areas by cleaning frequently touched surfaces (e.g. desk, chart tables, dining tables, bridge/engine room consoles, door handles, handholds, switches, telephones/VHF handsets, faucets).

If any of the vessel crew took COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test at their last port of call, the owner, master or agent of the vessel shall ensure that the PCR test results are submitted to MPA before the vessel arrives in the Port of Singapore (see below):
a) If PCR tests were taken for crew change purposes, submit results to [email protected].
b) If PCR tests were taken for all other purposes, submit PCR test results to [email protected].

(For information about operations in Singapore, contact GAC Singapore at [email protected])

Source: Extract from Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore Port Marine Circular No.04 of 2022 dated 15 March 2022

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