The Maritime and also Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) will certainly be taking improved procedures to more protected risk-free port procedures and also assist in staff modification. This will certainly enable vital items to remain to move via the Port of Singapore, and also Singapore to play its component in the international supply chain.
Enhanced Precautionary Measures in the Port
MPA has actually improved preventive procedures for ships calling at our port to additionally secure staff, coast employees and also the neighborhood area. Ships looking for to perform tasks such as repair work, maintenance, studies and also assessments which call for coast employees to board the ship have to notify the Port Master at the very least 3 days before the arrival of the ship and also embark on extra procedures consisting of sanitizing workspace in the ship. Please describe Port Marine Circular 35 of 2020 at Enclosure 1 for even more information.
MPA has actually additionally released a notification to all harbour pilots on extra preventive procedures to take when carrying out pilotage obligations on ships.
Image Credits: mpa.gov.sg
Enhanced Crew Change Procedures
Singapore has actually been promoting staff modification of all citizenships from ships of various flags, throughout the continuous COVID-19 pandemic. As a global port, several foreign-flagged ships call at Singapore, and also MPA has actually been promoting modification of staff for these ships.
Almost all Singapore- signed up ships (SRS) took care of to perform staff modification, consisting of in Singapore, with the exemption of 2% of the staff onboard with extensive agreements. MPA will certainly remain to function very closely with the proprietors, drivers and also supervisors of SRS on these staying staff.
Image Credits: mpa.gov.sg
Seafarers play a vital function in maintaining global profession and also international supply chains going, and also therefore, MPA will certainly take more actions to allow staff modification to occur in Singapore securely.
Crew Facilitation Centre
With impact from 1 September 2020, MPA, with the assistance of PSA Singapore, will certainly utilize its existing drifting holiday accommodation to establish a Crew Facilitation Centre (CFC) at the Tanjong Pagar Terminal.
It is a self-supporting center with an onsite clinical centre, screening and also holding centers. Dedicated to sign-on staff, the CFC will certainly house the staff for as much as 2 days before them boarding their ships, if called for, when their ship and also trip timetable do not match.
Image Credits: mpa.gov.sg
The CFC will certainly assist in even more staff modification to occur in Singapore and also maintain both the ships and also neighborhood area secure. Sign- off staff, based upon present treatments, will certainly continue to leave Singapore or remain at existing assigned holding centers Seacare Hotel or holiday accommodation vessel “POSH Bawean” for as much as 2 days, and also be purely set apart from the area.
More Streamlined Crew Change Procedures
In line with the threat took care of technique taken by Singapore’s Multi-Ministry Taskforce, staff participants that has actually remained at the very least 2 week from particular low-risk countries/regions to sign-on to ships in Singapore will certainly either no more be called for to offer a stay-at-home seclusion in the stemming country/region or offer a much shorter seclusion of 7 days before separation forSingapore Crew participants from various other countries/regions will certainly remain to offer a seclusion duration of 2 week before separation.
Image Credits: mpa.gov.sg
To more secure the staff modification procedure, ship proprietors, supervisors and also representatives are to guarantee the pre-departure COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) examinations are accomplished at government-approved or ISO 15189-accredited screening centers.
Please describe Port Marine Circular 36 of 2020 at Enclosure 2 for information of the changed staff modification treatments.
MPA will certainly remain to deal with the sector to evaluate our staff modification treatments to adjust to the fast-changing circumstance connecting to COVID-19. MPA advises the sector– ship proprietors, supervisors and also representatives– to remain to play its component to accomplish secure staff modifications.
Singapore Shipping Tripartite Alliance Resilience (SG-STAR) Fund
As an international center port and also global maritime centre, Singapore stays dedicated to assist in effective staff modifications in a secure way. To speed up the procedure and also circulate finest techniques of secure staff modification, MPA, Singapore Shipping Association, Singapore Maritime Officers’ Union, and also Singapore Organisation of Seamen, will certainly develop a S$ 1 million Singapore Shipping Tripartite Alliance Resilience (SG-STAR) Fund to deal with stakeholders in seafaring countries on concrete options for secure staff modifications, such as campaigns on finest techniques for staff holding centers and also PCR screening centres.
Image Credits: mpa.gov.sg
Supported by Mr Kitack Lim, Secretary-General of International Maritime Organization, and also Mr Guy Ryder, Director-General of International Labour Organization, Singapore invites similar global companions to take part this tripartite effort and also add to this Alliance fund to make sure that activities can be scaled up. More information of the SG-STAR Fund will certainly be launched eventually.
Image Credits: mpa.gov.sg
“This has been a trying time for seafarers. They have been working tirelessly to keep goods flowing around the world. But due to health and safety concerns, many have encountered difficulties to call on ports and undergo crew change, and that has severely affected their well-being. It is therefore very important for all stakeholders to come together to ensure safe port operations and safe crew changes. This dedicated facility for crew change and the Fund are the results of the collaboration between MPA, industry associations and seafarer unions. As shipping is a global business, we hope that more ports and stakeholders will join us in such initiatives, so that seafarers can continue their work and keep the supply lines of the world open,” stated Mr Ong Ye Kung, Minister for Transport.
Reference: mpa.gov.sg
