Requirements for shore-based personnel boarding vessels at anchorages, shipyards, terminals & marinas

Any shore-based personnel who is going on board a vessel in the port must produce proof that he/she has a valid COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test taken as part of the rostered routine testing (RRT) programme within the last 7 days before boarding the vessel…

…Shore-based personnel who are not on a RRT programme will be required to show a valid negative test result from a COVID-19 PCR test or Antigen Rapid Test (ART) within 72 hours prior to boarding the vessel. The COVID-19 PCR test or ART may be done at any of the MOH-approved COVID-19 test providers (https://www.moh.gov.sg/licensing-and-regulation/regulations-guidelines-andcirculars/details/list-of-covid-19-swab-providers). After disembarking, these shorebased personnel must take a PCR test between the 5th and 7th day, and a final PCR test on the 11th day. The costs of these tests for shore-based personnel who are not on a RRT programme would be at the shore-based personnel’s own or their employers’ expense.

Proof of the tests or 7-day RRT attendance may be on paper or by electronic means (e.g. SmartEntry@Sea, HealthHub SG app, SGWorkPass app etc.). The proof of the test must show the date/time of the test and the test result.

All owners, occupiers and managers of any waterfront facility – i.e. any pier, wharf, dock, terminal, marina – must ensure that any shore-based personnel going on board a vessel in the port, produce proof of the requisite test or 7-day RRT attendance, before allowing the shore-based personnel to go on board. The owner, occupier or manager of any waterfront facility must also not allow any shore-based personnel who has any specified symptom (coughing, sneezing, breathlessness, a runny nose, loss of sense of smell or anosmia) or is otherwise physically unwell, to go on board the vessel.

The owner, agent and master of the vessel which the shore-based personnel is boarding, must check and not allow the shore-based personnel to board if the personnel does not have the requisite test result (described in paragraph 3) or 7-day RRT attendance or if the personnel has any specified symptom (coughing, sneezing, breathlessness, a runny nose, loss of sense of smell or anosmia) or is otherwise physically unwell…

…Apart from showing proof of the requisite test result, all shore-based personnel must check-in and check-out with the SmartEntry@Sea QR Code at the departure points or the waterfront facilities, as appropriate. These departure points are the gazetted public landing steps (i.e. Marina South Pier and West Coast Pier), cargo, oil or cruise terminals, wharves, marinas and shipyards.

All owners, occupiers and managers of the departure points or the waterfront facilities, as appropriate, must ensure that all shore-based personnel comply with the SmartEntry@Sea requirements.

…The owner, agent or master of a vessel in port must maintain full and complete records, for the purposes of contact tracing, of all shore-based personnel embarking and disembarking the vessel. The records must contain:
(a) date and time of embarkation and disembarkation
(b) person’s name in full, passport/NRIC/FIN number
(c) person’s mobile number(s)
(d) enterprise’s or company’s name in full

Shore-based personnel who have carried out duties on board an oceangoing vessel in the port of Singapore must not, in the next 7 days, go on board a harbour craft or pleasure craft, to carry out duties. Enterprises must not deploy any of their shore-based personnel to carry out duties on board any harbour craft or pleasure craft where that personnel had gone on board an ocean-going vessel in the past 7 days. The owner, master or agent of the harbour craft or pleasure craft must check that the shore-based personnel coming on board to carry out duties, must not have been on board an ocean-going vessel in the past 7 days. The owner, master or agent of the harbour craft or pleasure craft must disallow boarding if the shore-based personnel has been on board an ocean-going vessel in the past 7 days.

Enterprises which deploy their shore-based personnel to go on board vessels in the port to carry out duties must ensure that the personnel wears an appropriate level of personal protection equipment, and that the personnel does not
(a) remain on board for longer than necessary and does not, in any case, stay on board overnight
(b) consume any food or drink from the ship’s stores
(c) convene or take part in any gathering while on board.

…The owner, agent or master of the vessel must, as far as is reasonably practicable, when the shore-based personnel is on board, minimise physical interaction between the shore-based personnel and members of the crew. The owner, agent and master must establish and apply procedures and adequate controls, when any shore-based personnel are on board...

…Employers of shore-based personnel are reminded to take note of all available health advisories and bring it to the attention of their employees.

Employers are responsible to brief their employees on the COVID-19 requirements and measures, i.e. applicable requirements and measures before boarding and while onboard vessels and/or harbour craft in port…

(For further details and updates, as well as information about operations in Singapore, contact GAC Singapore at [email protected])

Source: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore Port Marine Circular No.08 of 2021 dated 25 February 2021