MPA Singapore updates its crew change guidebook

To remind, the Singapore Crew Change Workgroup (SGCCWG) coordinates efforts in Singapore for Crew Change.

According to the guidebook, crew change process for sign-on and sign-off in Singapore include:

Sign-on crew:

• Meet-and-greet services are mandatory for sign-on crew arriving at Changi Airport, to escort the crew from the moment they disembark the plane to the point where they are handed over to the agent for the direct transfer to the ship or designated holding facility. Please read the mitigating factors and processes for sign-on crew.
• In general, all sign-on crew are required to serve 14-day Stay-Home-Notice (SHN) in the crew’s originating country/region before departure to Singapore. Crew from specific low risk countries/regions will either no longer be required to serve the SHN or serve a shorter SHN of 7 days in the originating country/region prior to departure for Singapore.
• While serving his/her SHN at his place of residence or holding facility, the crew should be completely isolated in a room with dedicated toilet with no interaction with others.
• The crew must have a negative result from a COVID-19 test (polymerase chain reaction (PCR type) taken at a government-approached or ISO 15189-accredited testing facility not more than 72 hours prior to departure for Singapore.
• The crew must provide a fit-to-travel certificate not more than 24 hours prior to his/her departure to Singapore.
• In addition, if a crew was previously diagnosed with COVID-19, he/she must submit documentary proof of his/her past diagnosis of COVID-19 based on the earliest positive PCR test result. The guidelines are as follows: i. If the date of the positive PCR test result is 21 days or fewer before the date of arrival in Singapore, he/she will not be approved for crew change. ii. If the date of the positive PCR test result is between 22 to 180 days before the date of arrival in Singapore, the recovered crew need not serve the SHN at his/her originating country/region nor take a COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours before departure for Singapore. But if he/she develops symptoms during the SHN period, he/she must be tested for COVID-19. iii. If the date of the positive PCR test result is more than 180 days before the date of arrival in Singapore, he/she must serve a 14-day SHN at his/her originating country/region and take a COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours before departure for Singapore.
• During the entire crew change process, especially during the journey to join the ship in Singapore, crew may be in groups of not more than five (5) persons and must remain in the same group. There must be no interactions between the groups.
• For crew going directly onboard ships, he/she shall only arrive Singapore to join his/her ship not more than two (2) days before the ship’s departure from Singapore. For crew staying at designated holding facilities, they may stay at these designated facilities for up to 72 hours.
• Pre-departure PCR test should be carried out at government-approved or ISO 15189-accredited testing facilities.

Sign-off crew:

• The crew: 1. Must have not gone ashore in the last 21 days before disembarking the ship. 2. Must have remained well and not had contact with any known or suspect case of COVID19 throughout that period. 3. Shall refrain from interacting with shore-based personnel at previous ports of call in the last 21 days.
• Fit-to-travel certificate must be issued by a doctor in Singapore not more than 24 hours before disembarking the ship.
• Tele-medicine consultations by Singapore Medical Council-fully registered doctors meeting the requirements in PMC 10 of 2021, are approved for issuance of the off-signing crews fit-to-travel certificate.
• Sign-off crew who requires COVID-19 pre-departure test (PDT) before being allowed to transit through or enter their destination country shall require to produce a negative PCR test result taken at the vessel’s last port of call, before calling at Singapore provided no crew change has been carried out in the last 21 days before the vessel’s last port of call.

EXPLORE CREW CHANGE GUIDEBOOK HERE