THE Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore’s plan is to strengthen the resilience of the community against COVID-19 and activities in its port waters against the pandemic. To aid this, the organisation will roll out the Sea Crew Vaccination Initiative or SEAVAX to allow eligible groups of non-resident foreign sea crew to be vaccinated.
Vaccinating sea crew will provide an additional layer of protection for onshore workers and passengers who may interact with them, according to Chee Hong Tat, Singapore’s senior minister of state for transport.
Singapore was one of the first countries to vaccinate maritime workers and local seafarers as early as January 2021. To date, more than 90% of Singapore’s maritime workers and seafarers are fully vaccinated. In particular, 89% of the 7500 resident seafarers working in Singapore’s port waters have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 82% of them have been fully vaccinated.
Under the new SEAVAX initiative, eligible groups of non-resident foreign sea crew will be offered COVID-19 vaccination on a voluntary basis from 30 August 2021. These include sea crew in Singapore with stays of more than 30 days, who work on board homeported cruise ships, ships under repair in shipyards, and yachts at marinas used for events, cruises and private charter.
It also includes sea crew who work onboard fishing vessels, ship supply vessels and regional ferries which enter and leave Singapore waters at least once a month. They provide essential services such as provision of ship supplies, transportation of food and raw materials, as well as ferrying passengers.
The Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines will be offered to eligible foreign sea crew, subject to availability. They can receive their vaccinations at designated sites that will be set up close to them. Companies or individuals should be prepared to pay for the vaccination services.
Over the next few weeks, the MPA, the Singapore Economic Development Board, the Singapore Food Agency and Singapore Tourism Board will reach out to the companies involved to schedule the vaccinations. There will be strict enforcement to ensure that only eligible sea crew are scheduled for vaccination.
Companies with eligible foreign sea crew who have not been informed by their respective agencies by 30 September may request for vaccination by sending supporting documentation to the agencies.
