Dear Members,
Maritime Champions Club- 53 149 as of today.
Please check your latest status and make sure we have your most up to date number of crew changes.
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NEWS RELEASE
WEDNESDAY 19 AUGUST 2020
InterManager publishes open letter to IMO amid Singapore’s restrictions on crew changes
InterManager – the international trade association for ship and crew managers – has today published an open letter addressed to Mr Kitack Lim, the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, on behalf of its members and associates.
The letter urges Mr Lim to offer more support to the global maritime industry with regards to the Singaporean repatriation issue.
Several major seaports throughout Asia have tightened crew change restrictions and stepped up screening of seafarers in recent weeks as the coronavirus stages a global resurgence.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore recently issued correspondence stating that “the MPA will be giving priority to crew change applications from Singapore-registered ships and applications for sign-off crew only, without signing-on new crew,” a release which has prompted InterManager to issue an open plea to the IMO’s Secretary-General.
Speaking of the situation, InterManager’s Secretary-General Capt. Kuba Szymanski said: “If the same rules issued by the MPA of Singapore were applied to all Flag States, it would pose a very dangerous narrative, as ships of other Flag States would not be allowed to perform crew changes anywhere in the world.
“We – ship managers – would be unable to change off-signing crew because they would immediately be in breach of safe manning regulations.
“We completely understand the concerns that Singapore has, and we support their efforts to look after their citizens. However, no ships means no supplies, so a collaboration between the shipping sector and local administration is of paramount importance, and needs to be a two-way street.”
The measures implemented by the MPA of Singapore follows a set of best practices issued on 24th July in light of a resurgence of coronavirus cases, which included isolation periods for on-boarding and off-boarding crews, as well as virus testing.
InterManager believes that the restrictions imposed on non-Singapore-registered vessels creates a myriad of issues to the safety of seafarers, and presents a significant breach of seafarers’ humanitarian rights.
“Their approach is everything but human-centric,” said Capt. Szymanski.
Capt. Szymanski said that officials in Singapore have less than concrete action to help crew repatriation in these troubling times. Recommendations suggested by the MPA are not practical, and InterManager is encouraging anyone who did manage to carry out crew changes in Singapore to get in touch in order to keep a good record of the scale of the problem.
“Presently, our records show zero crew changes for non-Singapore ships, for both on and off-signing crew changes,” said Capt. Szymanski.
ENDS
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Therefore please find below an exclusive offer for you:
Safety at Sea is the world’s only dedicated monthly maritime safety magazine, packed with vessel-critical information, presented in an engaging and accessible way to capture the attention of your crew. We would like to extend a special offer to InterManager members for an annual Fleet Subscription, click the following link and fill out the form, one of our sales specialists will be in touch. http://unbouncepages.com/safetyatsea-intermanager/
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InterManager’s Quarterly magazine is now available from:
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Pooling resources for crew changes – message from last Wednesday:
Message No. 57
Dear Members
Aa/ We urgently need support for crew change in Reunion
Filipino crew can fly via Paris – do they need Schengen Visa? If yes where to apply
Polish Master – does he need any extra Visas?
Your assistance would be highly appreciated.
Bb/ Manila update
Effective 19 August 2020, Metro Manila, Cebu City, Iloilo City, and the provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Nueva Ecija, Batangas, Quezon are back under the General Community Quarantine (GCQ). The GCQ status will remain until 31 August and will be subject to a subsequent review by the government.
Based on the GCQ status, additional industries and establishments will be allowed to operate as the government is restarting the economy. In addition to this, public transportation (trains, buses, taxis, and jeepneys) will also be back in operation. Domestic flights are again allowed to and from the Manila airport.
Cc/ OCIMF update:
OCIMF is pleased to announce the launch of a remote inspection regime as an additional tool within its Ship Inspection Report (SIRE) programme. A Remote Inspection under the SIRE programme is an inspection of a vessel conducted without the Inspector physically being onboard. It has been developed as a temporary measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19 between an Inspector and a vessel crew, and to address the impact of COVID-19 on the ability of Submitting Companies to carry out physical Inspections of vessels.
The selection and use of Remote Inspections are entirely voluntary and remains the prerogative of the Submitting Company and Programme Recipient. Physical inspections will continue to remain an option subject to travel restrictions and other national and international health and safety guidance.
OCIMF will continue to monitor the impact of COVID-19 and depending on the results may choose to extend the Remote Inspection regime or remove it completely.
The following documents are attached:
- A factsheet on Remote Inspections under the SIRE programme
- Guidelines for Remote Inspections under OCIMF programmes
This announcement only applies to the SIRE programme. Remote inspections for the Offshore Vessel Inspection Database (OVID) are currently under review and will be the subject of a future announcement.
If you need any further clarification or assistance please contact the below:
Ajay Gour
Training and Accreditation Manager
OCIMF
29 Queen Anne’s Gate
5th Floor
London, SW1H 9BU, UK
Off: +44 (0)20 7654 1200
Mob: +44 (0) 7920 876 999
Dir: +44 (0) 20 7654 1232
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.ocimf.org
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Message 56
Dear Members
Very sorry I messed up numbering of these messages recently. Hopefully this number is now correct.
Latest info from Egypt:
Kindly be informed of the following:
- Based on the ministerial decree announced yesterday evening by the Egyptian Prime Minister, the Quarantine Departments at Suez Ports, Port Said Ports and Alexandria Ports have decided that signing off formalities shall be suspended till further notice due to COVID-19 pandemic.
- Signing on formalities are still operating normally up to the moment.
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Last week:
Working on COVID-19
Working on Enclosed Space Death project
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This Week:
OPEN LETTER to IMO Secretary General
Working on COVID-19
Working on Enclosed Space Death project
Maritime Champions Club
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Looking forward:
Ship Management International is running an audience included Webinar on Aug 26 (12 noon BST) for its readers on the heady subject of Navigation and its crucial role in global vessel safety.
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Brgds
Capt. Kuba Szymanski
Secretary General
InterManager
Mob: +44 7624 498 266
e-mail: [email protected]
web: www.intermanager.org
