The Government of Oman has granted permission to carry out crew changes at Sohar Port without any restrictions or without any special approvals. GAC Sohar now can arrange crew changes at Sohar Port or Anchorage.
The (COVID-19) test and quarantine compliance must be arranged by shipping agents for all crew change services. The shipping agent should liaise directly with hereunder mentioned authorities with prior notice.
For crew departing from the ship to Muscat Airport:
- The shipping agency should send a request with a list of crew departing from ship to the airport along with copies of their documents to the Port Health Department. The Port Health Department will write a letter to the Security Coordination at the ROP, with no objection in case requested by ROP.
- 24 hours before the travel date, the captain of the ship should send a letter to the Port Health Department stating that the departing crew are free of Covid-19. The airport name and date of travel are specified in the letter to allow their disembarkation from the ship.
- When disembarking from the ship to the airport, departing crew should pass through the Port Health Department for the temperature measures and symptoms check. They will be provided with a message “to whom it may concern” from the Port Health Department.
For crew coming from their countries to the Sultanate via Muscat Airport:
- The shipping agency should send a request to the Port Health Department with a list of crew arrivals and copies of their no objection documents. The Port Health Department will write a letter to the Security Coordination at the ROP with no objection in case requested by ROP.
- The shipping agency should send a letter to the ROP immigration and health department at the airport stating that the crew will stay for less than 7 days in the Sultanate. The shipping agent should also clarify whether the ship that the crew are signing on is an international ship or a local ship, to avoid wearing the bracelet for the international ship crew. This letter should be sent before the crew arrives in the Sultanate to present it to the proper authorities at the airport.
- After the crew arrives in the Sultanate, the shipping agent will arrange the stay of the crew at the hotel until the result of the Covid-19 test appears. All expenses will be settled by the shipping agency.
- If the COVID-19 test result is negative, the crew will be allowed to leave the hotel and sign-on to the ship. The port health department should be informed. The crew should be in quarantine at the ship for a period of 14 days and should measure their temperature twice a day and the symptoms check must always be monitored. This will be the responsibility of the captain of the vessel.
- If the COVID-19 test result is positive, the crew will be placed in quarantine at the hotel for 14 days, and the shipping agency should arrange for the patient(s) to be treated. All expenses will be settled by the shipping agency.
- For local ships, the crew will have to wear a bracelet from the airport and they should take it off after 14 days of quarantining at the ship “in the event that the result is negative” and returned back to the nearest health complex/hospital. If the bracelet has been destroyed, the shipping agency will be charged a fine of up to 200 Omani Riyals.
- In case of the ship is an international ship and the result of the Covid-19 test is “negative”, the crew will not be asked to wear a bracelet. However, the responsibility of the quarantining and symptoms check will be under the captain of the ship who will be also responsible to measure the temperature of the crew twice a day and follow up on symptoms for a period of 14 days.
For further details and updates, as well as information about operations in Oman, contact GAC Oman at [email protected]
