- The first seafarers to benefit from the use of chartered flight to comply with the new crew change protocol finally disembarked the bulk carrier Genco Liberty at the Port of Singapore.
- The protocols were developed by the Singapore Crew Change Working Group (SGCCWG).
- In the current environment, the expectation is that the coordination of crew change will continue to be a challenge.
- Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, crew change can take place in Singapore under procedures established by MPA.
- The new clear, consistent guidelines could become the blueprint for port authorities elsewhere when looking at reopening for crew changes.
Wilhelmsen coordinates Singapore’s first full crew change for Synergy Group on bulk carrier Genco Liberty using new protocol, reads a press release from the company.
Bulk carrier disembarked
The first seafarers to benefit from the use of chartered flight to comply with the new crew change protocol, developed by the Singapore Crew Change Working Group, finally disembarked the bulk carrier Genco Liberty at the Port of Singapore. The signing off crew has completed their contracts on board.
The nineteen-man Indian crew will now return home via a chartered flight from Singapore to Colombo and then on to India. Their colleagues made up of fourteen Sri Lankans and four Indian seafarers who arrived at Singapore from Sri Lanka, also via the same chartered flight, signed on the same day.
For the crew signing-off, an approved medical doctor certified that all crew members were fit-to-travel prior to sign-off. There was no sharing of passenger launch boats for crew and service engineers & technicians.
The crew were conveyed in private transport that complied with safe distancing measures, and fresh face masks and hand sanitisation were provided for all crew before boarding the vehicles.
The designated agent also reminded crew members that the donning of face masks is compulsory in Singapore.
On-signers home quarantined
On-signers of the Genco Liberty were asked to remain in home quarantine for 14 days and tested negative for COVID-19 before their departure flight. They were met at the airport by an agent with a private transport that complied with safe distancing measures. Face masks and hand sanitisation were also provided for all arriving crew.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, crew change can take place in Singapore under procedures established by Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. The new guidelines provide both predictability and a solid foundation for safe crew changes in substantially larger numbers than seen the last few months.
In that regard, the new clear, consistent guidelines could become the blueprint for port authorities elsewhere when looking at reopening for crew changes.
The new crew change protocols published in the COVID-19 Singapore Crew Change Guidebook were developed in accordance with International Chamber of Shipping’s Framework of Crew Change Protocol and Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore’s Port Marine Circular 26 of 2020.
The guidebook is issued by Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, Singapore Shipping Association and Singapore Maritime Officers’ Union and in cooperation with the International Maritime Employers’ Council Ltd and the World Shipping Council.
New protocol
The protocols developed by Genco, the MPA and the Synergy Group established quarantine and repatriation procedures for seafarers to protect health and safety, taking into account factors such as testing, the availability of personal protective equipment, travel and logistical issues, and the safety of the local community.
These industry leading protocols stipulate all arriving crew members to be quarantined for 14 days prior to boarding the vessel, receive personal protective equipment kits, and were administered Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests prior to travel.
Genco continues to work on conducting crew changes where permissible by regulations of the ports and origin of the mariners, in addition to strict protocols to safeguard crews against COVID-19 exposure.
“At Synergy Group, we have been working diligently to conduct crew changes since the outbreak of COVID-19 and we are grateful to Genco for taking the lead together with the MPA and the Singaporean government,” said Captain Rajesh Unni, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Synergy Group, which carried out the crew change on ‘Genco Liberty’.
He added, “We would like to continue to see more crew rotations occur globally as other countries can now look to the successful Genco Liberty crew rotation as the blueprint to help return these seafarers to their families.”
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Source: Wilhelmsen
