Hot Port News from GAC
21-Jul-2020
AMENDED PORT NAVIGATION DEPTHS
Townsville, Australia
TEST RESULTS FOR JOINERS UNDER SCRUTINY
Singapore
CONTROLLED REPATRIATION OF FOREIGN SEAFARERS
India
REFINERY MAINTENANCE SHUTDOWN
Paradip, India
PLEA TO COMPLY WITH CREW CHANGE REGULATIONS
Singapore
Amended port navigation depths
Tuesday, July 21, 2020, Townsville, Australia
Mariners are advised that the declared depths for the channels and berth pockets, below port datum, Lowest Astronomical Tide, are amended, as of Monday, 20 July 2020, as follows:
Outer Harbour (Arrival Channel)
– Actual depth (metres): 6.9
Outer Harbour (Departure Channel)
– Actual depth (metres): 11.4*
Sea Channel
– Actual depth (metres): 11.8*
Channel Wedge
– Actual depth (metres): 10.9
Platypus Channel
– Actual depth (metres): 11.6*
Inner Harbour
– Actual depth (metres): 11.3
No. 1 Berth Pocket
– Actual depth (metres): 12.3*
No. 2 Berth Pocket
– Actual depth (metres): 10.8*
No. 3 Berth Pocket
– Actual depth (metres): 11.2*
No. 4 Berth Pocket
– Actual depth (metres): 11.9*
No. 8 Berth Pocket
– Actual depth (metres): 12.1*
No. 9 Berth Pocket
– Actual depth (metres): 11.6*
No. 10 Berth Pocket
– Actual depth (metres): 11.0*
No. 11 Berth Pocket
– Actual depth (metres): 10.4*
– Berth marks 10m to 260m
No. 11 Berth Pocket
– Actual depth (metres): 9.6*
– Berth marks 0m to 10m
Ross River Channel
– Actual depth (metres): 1.9
– Entrance to Beacon No.6
Ross River
– No Declared depth
– Upstream of Beacon No 6
Ross River
– No Declared depth
*Revised entries
(For information about operations in Australia, contact GAC Australia at shipping.australia@gac.com)
Source: Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads – Maritime Safety Queensland Notice To Mariners 247 (T) of 2020 dated 20 July 2020
Test results for joiners under scrutiny
Tuesday, July 21, 2020, Singapore
There has been another case where a crew member joining their vessel in Singapore has tested positive with COVID-19.
The Maritime Port Authority (MPA) have also been actively monitoring the PCR test results conducted at the joiner’s departure country. These results are being scrutinised as the MPA has noticed that some have been either altered or tempered with.
Since the beginning of July 2020 to date, a few local shipping agencies have either been suspended or banned by MPA from carrying out further crew change applications.
All vessel owners, operators and manning offices are reminded to strictly comply with the crew change regulations as communicated by MPA as any non-compliance may result in both the vessel’s owner/operators/manning offices and their appointed local agency being either suspended or banned by MPA from making future crew change applications.
For further details and updates, as well as information about operations in Singapore, contact GAC Singapore at singapore@gac.com
Controlled repatriation of foreign seafarers
Tuesday, July 21, 2020, India
To facilitate and regulate crew sign-off for foreign seafarers on board the vessels making calls to Indian ports in a safe manner, the Directorate General of Shipping has announced a new Standard Operating Procedure/Protocol for the repatriation of foreign seafarers from the country’s ports.
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES (SOP) FOR SIGN-OFF BY FOREIGN NATIONAL SEAFARERS
Ensure DGS Order 12 of 2020 dated 22.04.2020 is complied with as applicable.
Ship owner / Recruitment & Placement Services (RPS) to ensure validity of visa issued to foreign seafarer is adequate for their stay in India until they board International flights.
a) However, instances have come to notice that the ship-owner / Recruitment and Processing Services (RPS) would not be in a position to ensure the validity of the travel documents and visa of the crew on board in respect of the vessels which are already in the sea. Hence, possibilities of crew arriving on the strength of expired passports and visas cannot be ruled out.
b) Crew already on board without a visa cannot obtain a sticker visa from Indian Mission and therefore, the other option is to issue them e-visa online. Issue of e-visas is currently kept in abeyance. However, they would be issued with TLP for one month on the basis of valid passport facilitating their travel outside India.
If the validity of Indian visa and/or passport is less than three months from date of sign-off, all necessary efforts shall be made by the ship owner/RPS agency to renew through local embassies.
Foreign seafarers with expired Indian visa may be allowed to sign-off on the basis of issuance of TLP by local Immigration officer but subject to valid passport and valid Seaman’s Identity document.
a) TLP with validity of up to one month and a one-time fee of USD 40 may be given by Immigration Officer, keeping in view the requirement of the seafarer.
b) As per the Visa Manual, a seafarer on board of a merchant vessel can be signed off on the strength of gratis TLP for a maximum of seven days or till the return journey of the crew member to their home state, whichever is less.
c) A special provision has been made to issue them TLPs for up to 1 (one) month after payment of one-time fees of USD 40.
Before arrival at its port of call, the Master of the vessel shall ascertain the state of health of each person on board the vessel and submit the Maritime Declaration of Health to the health authorities of the port and to the port authorities. In addition, the information required by the local health authorities of the port, like temperature chart, individual health declaration, etc. shall also be provided by the master as per the directives of the health authorities of the port. Port health authorities shall grant pratique to the vessel prior to berthing as per necessary health protocols.
Seafarer must wear necessary PPE (masks, hand gloves) on arrival.
All foreign seafarers’ luggage and personal effects must be disinfected at the time of disembarkation.
Seafarer will be cleared by Immigration authority at the nearest immigration center and custom authorities for luggage clearances etc. after arrival at the port.
Seafarers arriving on a vessel to undergo the COVID-19 test to confirm they are negative of the virus. After disembarking and till the time the seafarer reaches the testing facility, all safety precautions must be observed.
Seafarers to be kept in quarantine facility approved by Port/State Health Authorities until test reported are received.
Seafarers who test positive fro COVID-19 will be dealt with as per the procedures laid down by the Ministry.
Until international flights/VBM flights/chartered flights/connecting flights are available for the desired destination, ship owner/RPS agency must arrange for boarding and lodging of seafarers at a safe location.
One a seafarer receives a negative test result, the ship owner/RPS agency must ensure completion of the following if travelling by car:
a. Seafarer’s travel route post sign-off is to be identified
b.Details of the seafarer, vehicle and driver for travel to be uploaded on DGS website “e-pass for foreign seafarers link” for generation of e-pass, if needed.
The e-pass (to and from) will be issued for a fixed route and with specified validity and must be strictly adhered to.
Ship owner/RPS agency to ensure the following for taking seafarer to the airport:
a. Vehicle being used is properly sanitized and PPE (masks, hand gloves) and sanitisers made available for driver and seafarer
b. Driver and seafarer to maintain social distancing requirements.
On reaching the airport, seafarer to abide by the quarantine/isolation and health protocols as desired by airport authorities.
Seafarer must also abide and fully comply with all concerned flag state orders pertaining to COVID-19 at all times.
For further details and updates, as well as information about operations in India, contact GAC India at india@gac.com
Refinery maintenance shutdown
Tuesday, July 21, 2020, Paradip, India
The Oil Refinery of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) at Paradip will remain closed for a period of 22 days from 25 July, for maintenance related works to be carried out.
The decision to undertake annual maintenance at the plant was taken by IOCL authorities and district administration. The last such maintenance activity was undertaken in March 2018, since when there has been no shutdown at the plant.
For information about operations in India, contact GAC India at india@gac.com
Plea to comply with crew change regulations
Tuesday, July 21, 2020, Singapore
In the past week, there are fresh cases of crew arriving in Singapore with COVID-19 symptoms which they eventually been tested positive.
Alarmingly the crews, upon arrival, projected severe high temperatures, which also prompted further actions in contact tracing. This has led to some 15-20 other persons having to be contacted/quarantined for further checks.
There is a clear and present pattern whereby seafarers (individually) and crew & manning operators/companies, are not seriously taking the protocol of self-imposed isolation (minimal of 14 days) when being rostered for crew change.
With the crews possessing smartphones, it is not a high bar to set, or a difficult process, to get crew & manning operators/companies to exercise rigour and due diligence in ensuring the rostered crews are indeed observing a self-isolation period…
…I would like to impress upon on the following:
All companies who have full and direct control of their crewing and manning matters are to ensure that they are able to demonstrate that the procedures and especially the SHN-procedures are adhered to in the crew country of origin. Companies must also be able to demonstrate that they have fully briefed their crew, agents etc on the Singapore crew change procedures
Understandably, some companies would have to rely on third-party crew & manning companies. For these companies, you must ensure that the Singapore crew change process are clearly communicated to these third-party crew and manning companies, and that they are followed thoroughly.
Should there be breaches found, companies (ship agents, operators, managers, owners) would be penalised accordingly by the authorities. Furthermore, continued incidences of crews who are screened positive for Covid19, will lead to a complete shutdown of crew changes in Singapore…
…Singapore currently does not allow any returning of short-term pass holders back in Singapore but crew change is a concession given to the industry as Singapore recognises the importance and our responsibility as an international maritime centre…
(For further details and updates, as well as information about operations in Singapore, contact GAC Singapore at singapore@gac.com)
Source: Singapore Shipping Association update dated 21 July 2020
