Updated requirements for arriving vessels during COVID-19

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 are strongly encouraged to conduct operations (e.g. cargo operations, bunkering, ship’s supplies and stores, and other marine services in a contactless manner or contactless with segregation protocol. Please refer to ANNEX A for details on contactless operations and contactless operations with segregation protocols.

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. Please refer to ANNEX B for the requirements for enterprises with shore-based personnel boarding vessels at anchorages, shipyards, terminals and marinas in the Port of Singapore...

…All vessel’s crew must observe the following good practices on safe management measures while in the Port of Singapore:
a) Wear a mask at all times when inside the enclosed areas of the vessel (e.g. accommodation space, enclosed wheelhouse/bridge, engine room, ship office, meeting room, cabin, saloon) unless the work activity requires that no mask be worn;
b) Maintain at least one metre apart from each other when not wearing mask;
and
c) 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 (email: [email protected]) before the vessel arrives in the Port of Singapore…

ANNEX A - Contactless operations and contactless operations with segregation protocol

1. Owners, agents and masters of vessels are strongly encouraged to conduct all port operations (e.g.cargo operations, bunkering, ship’s supplies and stores, and other marine services) are carried out contactless or contactless with segregation protocol.

Contactless Operations
2. In circumstance where a contactless operation is required, no person is to board the visiting vessel except MPA-licensed harbour pilots, authorised government officers, and persons approved by the Port Master.

3. Parties involved in a contactless operation must minimally ensure the following:
a) Communicate and/or send documents by telephone text message or email.
b) If items must be transferred from one vessel to another (e.g. securing of mooring, ship supplies; certain documents like bunker delivery note etc), disinfect these items and equipment thoroughly before and after the transfer.

4. For transferring of supplies, the owner, master and/or agent of visiting vessels and the services provider involved must ensure the following:
a) The supply boat’s crew must not board the visiting vessel;
b) Disinfect equipment used for the transfer of supplies thoroughly before and after the transfer; and
c) Communicate and/or send documents by telephone text message or email.

Contactless Operations with Segregation Protocol
5. If it is necessary for shore-based personnel to board the vessel, segregation protocol should be in place to minimise interactions between the vessel’s crew and shore-based personnel. Examples of contactless operations with segregation protocols are bunkering, cargo operations and tank cleaning. Owners, agents and masters of vessels are required to work with the destination terminals to agree on the segregation protocol before the operations commence.

6. Parties involved in a contactless operation with segregation protocol should ensure the following:
a) Communicate and/or send documents by telephone text or email.
b) If items are to be transferred from one vessel to another (e.g. securing of mooring, ship supplies etc), disinfect the items and equipment used for the transfer, before and after the transfer;
c) Vessel’s crew to remain in crew accommodation except to keep gangway watch or to carry out essential activities such as tending to mooring ropes;
d) If vessel’s crew are required to go on deck, their movements are to be restricted to the seaward side of the deck; and

7. For bunkering operations, the owner, master or agent of visiting vessels and service providers involved must minimally ensure the following:
a) Bunker barge crew must not board the visiting vessel;
b) Visiting vessel’s crew must not board the bunker barge;
c) Communicate and/or send documents (e.g. bunker delivery note) by telephone text or email;
d) Visiting vessel’s crew to connect the hose at the vessel’s manifold; and
e) Bunker surveyor must not board the bunker barge.

ANNEX B - Requirements for Enterprises with Shore-Based Personnel Boarding Vessels at Anchorages, Shipyards, Terminals and Marinas, in the Port of Singapore.

1. All owners, occupiers and managers of any waterfront facility – i.e. pier, wharf, dock, terminal, marina –must 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.

2. All shore-based personnel boarding vessels are to be fully vaccinated. Non-fully vaccinated individuals (other than recovered individuals or medically ineligible individuals) will not be allowed to board any vessels in the port.

3. The shore-based personnel, owner, agent and master must comply with the measures listed below when any shore-based personnel are on board:
a) All crew members and shore-based personnel must wear appropriate personal protective equipment such as face mask when inside the enclosed areas of the vessel (e.g. accommodation space, enclosed wheelhouse/bridge, engine room, ship office, meeting room, cabin, saloon) unless the work activity requires that no mask be worn.
b) Unwell crew members and/or passengers must be isolated onboard the vessel.
c) Shore-based personnel who are unwell must be denied access to the vessel.
d) Upon shore-based personnel disembarking the vessel, the vessel shall disinfect the areas that have been used and especially the frequently touched surfaces.

4. 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 in port.

5. 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.

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

Source: Extracts from Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore Port Marine Circular No.05 of 2022 dated 28 March 2022