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There was an industry briefing in Singapore about the tripartite initiative to vaccinate seafarers in Singapore under an initiative called SEA VAX.

The tripartite is now moving into Phase 2 of its seafaring vaccination, which means that foreign crew on vessels calling Singapore may be eligible for vaccination. The option to have the sign-on crew vaccinated may be available if all criteria are met.

Under the current regulations (PMC 30) for crew change, the MPA will be making allowances for sign-on crew only to be considered for vaccination.  The whole process of signing on will remain the same, however instead of going direct to the pier to get on a launch boat, the transporter will deviate to take the crew to the vaccination centre (Tanjong Pagar Terminal).  They will be vaccinated, monitored for 30 minutes, and then head directly to the pier to join the ship (after high-risk shore based personnel have disembarked), finally ship must be depart within 48hrs of the crew signing on as per PMC 30.

More will be made available by the authorities in due course, and we will guide manning on the requirements, however the below are the key points:

KEY POINTS

• Vaccine: Moderna
• Start Date: September 30, 2021 (applications will be considered from Sept 23, 2021)
• Who: Sign-On Crew Only
• Cost: $180 SGD / Person (Pre-payment only)
• Vaccine Centre Location: Tanjong Pagar Terminal (Within PSA)
• Operating Hours: 14h00 – 20h00 7 days a week

CONDITIONS

1. The crew has agreed to be vaccinated in Singapore before signing on ot the relevant ship
2. The crew is either not vaccinated or has been administered one shot of the COVID-19 Moderna vaccine more than 21 days prior to the crew’s sign-on date in Singapore
3. The crew’s flight arrival in Singapore is between 12h01 – 18h00hrs and the crew must arrive at the vaccination location by 19h30hrs
4. The crew must be transported directly on arrival to the vaccination centre, and directly to the ship after his/her vaccination

Crew are not to perform heavy duty work over the next 7 days. In the monitoring phase (30 minutes after vaccine), should the crew have an adverse reaction they may be brought to a Singapore Government Hospital, all costs associated to this will be borne by the principal and his/her P&I club.

It is important to note that when the agent makes the application for the sign-on crews vaccination, the principal is aware of the fine print under Section 4 of the form (https://form.gov.sg/#!/61419c174a811300125a74bf) which highlights Consent, Undertakings and Declarations as well as Breaches and Consequences of Breaches.

Disclaimer: As local conditions and regulations can change by the hour, before making any firm plans please contact Enquiries@waterfront-ms.com to give you the latest updates for individual countries.