After testing negative for 825 seafarers onboard and 98 harbour crafts undertaken crew change, Singapore authorities, MPA enforces on precise medical test results
In a statement released just before Chinese New Year, the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) mentioned it carried out COVID-19 tests between 27 January 2021 and 5 February 2021. The one-time testing operation involving 825 crew members onboard and 98 harbour crafts which had crew changes were tested negative for the virus.
Since 25 January 2021, the MPA enhanced the crew change regime for harbour craft. Sign-on crew from overseas are required to undergo a 14-day Stay Home Notice (SHN) in a dedicated facility in Singapore. Each crew member will also be tested twice; at both the start and end of SHN. This is in addition to a five-day SHN in their country of origin, with tests at the start and end of their SHN period abroad.
In another statement dated 15 February 2021, the authority reminds all shipowners and operators the MPA’s approval has to be sought for signing off crew that requires pre-departure test (PDT) in Singapore. It added that for crew change applications where the sign-off crew requires PDT before departing Singapore, in addition to the existing requirement of crew not having gone ashore for 21 days, all crew on board shall produce a negative test result from a COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test taken at the vessel’s last port of call before calling at Singapore. The test results shall be submitted to MPA as soon as they are available and before the vessel arrives in Singapore.
